Heartbeat
by aimeeshii
Summary: Kyouya needed to find a roommate as soon as possible. The only offer he receives is from a strange fellow he'd met once before, the one that kissed him without a second thought. D18 AU
1. Sensations

**Warnings: **this story will contain sexual content.

**Beta'd by fuwacchi.**

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter one—Sensations

**HPOV**

I groaned lightly and ran a hand through my hair whilst thinking about my life. If I had to be blunt about it, I'd describe my life in one word—dull. Dull would definitely be the word I'd use. My everyday consisted of the same routine that got repeated and repeated, various amounts of times. On the very rare occasion there's a significant difference from the usual, but that barely ever happened. I didn't consider myself a complete pessimist and despise the world and all the actions that revolved around it. _No, that would be stupid; I'm just honest_. If I made my eyes really pay attention to my surroundings, I saw the same things. Anywhere I looked in the world, I found children crying out in joy. It was the same in every country, it was just their appearances that change.

The one thought that spontaneously popped into my head at that moment was one regarding the belief that our life is a 'string'. The string joined everyone else's and merely waited until the Gods finally decided to cut it—if life was that insignificant to them, how could anyone consider themselves special or at least treasure someone? I hoped that my 'life string' was close to being cut. If that was so, then I would experience something different in the afterlife. For all I knew, I might even be reincarnated. I smirked slightly at the thought—it was always nice to picture myself as a ferocious animal which terrorized people.

Shaking my head lightly, I continued walking down the street. It was completely monotone; the buildings, the sidewalk and just about every leaf that was settled down on the ground. Even blending in with the rest of the gray, I managed to spy a small rock just a few feet in front of me. I gave it a gentle kick at first, to get a good feel of it. Once I was happy that I knew where not to kick on it, I roughly shoved it into the road. The thought of actually tripping over it popped into my mind, even if it was rare, it could happen. The situation would have been similar to my pride being poked with a hot steel rod. I sighed a little internally but in reality it came out as a harsh breath. The details I found out from reviewing my life so far were not pleasing.

Before I started thinking again, I glanced down at my chest with a frown. I quickly realized that I'd never had any experience where my heart started thumping loudly. The first time I was in a fight could have counted, but that was mostly due to adrenaline. That would have been at least twelve years ago. I possessed the same personality I had now when I was in Kindergarten, or at least close enough, which I'm sure none of the other children appreciated, but it certainly was fun. Just the thought of referring to myself with the honorific '-chan' had me inwardly cringing. It certainly wasn't an action I approved of. The idiot teacher had dubbed me as 'Kyou-chan' and that definitely had to be what encouraged my first fist fight. I wasn't particularly fond of verbal ones—they didn't cause enough damage in my eyes. The other males of the class, with the females watching in the background, had instantly crowded around me. It didn't even take me five minutes to realize I wasn't fond of crowds. It only took them a few minutes to cross the line and call me by my first name.

Needless to say, I got a reputation in that Kindergarten after one day.

Elementary school wasn't as bad. It didn't take long for individuals to realize I didn't approve of being called by my first name, but I probably had several school records before people realized that. Due to conflicts between my personality and just about everyone else's, I didn't stick close to anyone. Not even a friendship was formed. There was one male that had taken a liking to me though; clicking my tongue lightly in disgust, I remembered I had to kick him in the face to get him to stay away from me. It was a weird thought that he was still with me to this day, he was my second in command.

There were no heart thumping experiences through that section of school.

Middle school had been exactly the same. All that occurred was training. Eventually, I learnt what threats were successful against students and even the teachers. My personal record had to be wiped at one point—it was full of casualty cases. My first real injury had occurred through my first year of middle school. I had been too cocky about my abilities and ended up with a broken wrist. My victims were still in a worse condition—I wouldn't have been surprised if one of them had ended up with internal bleeding. They were in the hospital for a few months after that and whenever I caught sight of them now, they literally scuttled away with their arms flailing slightly. I huffed a little at the thought—it really was that herbivore's own fault that he had obtained the injuries. His stupidity was almost blinding; he had walked around as if he was sitting on top of a pedestal whenever anyone caught sight of him.

Taking control over the disciplinary committee had been easier than taking candy from a mere baby. I'd secured my reign at the top of the school in less than a week and since then, everyone knew my name. It was a strange experience at first, but I eventually got used to it. It was too easy—whoever was the main Prefect before myself was definitely weak and failed to train his subordinates. It was probably due time for me to move up into High School, but I just didn't feel like it. Moving up meant that I had to secure my place at the top again and make sure individuals knew not to approach me. It had taken quite a bit of work and if I was being honest, I didn't feel I had the energy to do that again for at least a year. At the beginning of the year, I had threatened the Principal to keep me enrolled in Namimori Middle School for one more year. It was always fun to see him shiver and simply nod at whatever I requested—he really was like a mindless pup, but I didn't mind that one bit. It was certainly helpful to have someone who was an important symbol to be my minion whenever they caught sight of me.

As I analyzed the memories I could remember again, I inwardly cringed to myself. The only time my heartbeat increased a considerable amount was definitely my first fight. It was just the first real spur of the moment thing, attacking an older kid when all the adrenaline inside of me became unbearable.

Shaking my head again, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Somewhere through my reminiscing, it had started vibrating. I had completely ignored it, not even considering that it might be important. I huffed slightly when I saw who it was from, it was never a nice experience answering her calls. At least she didn't attempt to keep calling, choosing to leave a voice message instead. I cautiously pressed the call button and then brought the phone up to my ear. I was always wary whenever I was listening to her talk; she had the habit of _shrieking_ at unexpected times.

"Kyouya!" I cringed, but it wasn't inwardly that time. "I'm leaving for work again. I'll be absent for a few months. Hmm, probably around four. I've left you the usual card and an emergency number. Don't get caught by the police! I love y―" The end call button was pressed by my finger within seconds. I didn't want to hear her screech her so called love, it was not necessary.

"Damn Mother," I cursed under my breath.

The phone was returned to its usual place inside my pocket before I started walking again. It was probably a good time to go back to my apartment, the sun had almost completely set. The sky was stained red and orange at that moment, but I couldn't find the desire within me to admire it. I could see it any day I wanted. My pace was quickened when a cold gust of wind came along. I was still dressed in my school uniform—black trousers and a long sleeved white shirt. It wasn't exactly the best attire to wear when it was cold out due to the thin shirt, but I didn't want to take the jacket off my shoulders to wear it properly.

A jacket placed upon shoulders was definitely a new sight to see. It seemed to be a sign of power—only the 'leader' of certain groups would wear it. I remembered seeing someone wear their jacket like this when I was in elementary school, he was the tallest of a group, but he didn't look the roughest. He possessed a clean appearance whilst his subordinates were greasy and overly muscled. It looked like the best type of leader out of all the ones I'd seen—I could clearly see that the subordinates cared a great deal for him even without voicing it out loud.

The jacket hanging on his shoulders had to be a sign of authority.

My thoughts eventually travelled back to what my mother had said over the phone as I turned a corner. She frequently left for business trips which normally lasted for months on end. The longest she had ever been on was seven months. I was absolutely fine without her, but it was always awkward when she finally came back. We weren't close at all and I couldn't exactly threaten my own mother not to call me by my first name. Though, I certainly could threaten my relatives and I did. An uncontrollable shudder went through my body as I thought back to an early memory. I had met my first cousin when I was younger. He was a fool and immediately acted close to me, even having the courage to link his arm through mine. I gave him a broken arm when we were only eight. I hadn't seen him since and I was absolutely fine with that.

When I'd asked my mother why I was never included on her trips away from home, I didn't receive a satisfactory answer. I was curious because she had never offered once and I was absolutely fine with seeing other places. The answer was simply, 'I can trust you to be alone.' Of course, I enjoyed being alone. Everyone did once in a while, but there was a certain amount of my own presence that I could tolerate on a daily basis. My lack of relationships meant that it was constantly just me. It could be classed as lonely, but I didn't have a problem with it. I had a problem with crowds and people being too friendly. It all just seemed faked—they had their reasons for grouping, but most of the time they were for the wrong ones.

I was still thinking about my lack of communication with people when I was abruptly cut short. Something had crashed into me and since I was caught off guard, I couldn't avoid it. A groan escaped from my lips as I felt myself falling backwards. The wind was running through my hair and splashing across my face, alerting me that I was definitely moving and it wasn't some sick hallucination. My determination flared up as I tried not to fall. It was embarrassing enough to have someone crash into me; I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me pathetically falling. My tactic for stabilizing myself was simple enough, I merely moved my legs back and staggered a bit to attempt to keep my balance. The figure that crashed into me obviously had the same idea as me. The stranger was practically mimicking my movements which made us, unfortunately, unsuccessful. As I moved my foot back, theirs followed. It was like we were dancing, but with flailing limbs added in and it was genuinely ungraceful.

The impact of the crash combined with the weight of the stranger caused pain to shoot up my backside. I could feel that I'd fallen on my tailbone and I didn't like the feeling. I had only hurt it once before when I was younger; it had hurt for a few days to sit down. Not that I showed it—I just kept cringing on the inside. A quiet hiss made its way out of my throat after I acknowledged the pain shooting through me. When I'd fallen backwards, I put my hands behind me to try and lessen the impact of the fall. There were pieces of gravel imbedded into my palms and a few cuts; I would definitely need to clean them thoroughly if I didn't want them to be infected. I didn't trust my spit alone—I wouldn't be able to wield my tonfas correctly if my palms were damaged. It wouldn't be a good situation if I could only kick in fights.

The stranger had definitely landed on top of my body, that was perfectly clear. I could tell that without opening my eyes. I'd closed them when I was preparing myself for when I'd made contact with the hard floor. I could feel my face smashed into something and I guessed it was a chest—the stranger was either a male or an unfortunate female, obviously lacking the essentials. There could possibly be a bruise developing across my nose from how harshly I was pushed into them. There certainly was enough pressure to make me internally wince. Inflicting pain on others was fine and absolutely dandy, but that didn't mean I was accustomed to it when it happened to me. I tended to steer clear of making myself feel pain—it always caught me off guard. From our positioning and the chest that was smashed into my face, I guessed that the stranger's hands were on either side of my body, supporting and keeping them steady. If they were knocked out, they'd probably end up even more on top of me than they already were. I shuddered a little at the thought—I didn't want anyone in my personal bubble.

After adjusting to the pain radiating from my backside and across my face, I snapped my eyes open with the intent of biting whoever crashed into me to death. When my eyes finally adjusted to see what was before me, I growled quietly. The stranger still hadn't moved, staying in the exact same position. It didn't seem like they even attempted to—I couldn't see them move at all. It was like they were paralyzed to the spot and it was making my eye twitch in irritation even more with every second that passed.

A few more seconds passed by before my patience finally snapped. With an audible huff, I leaned my arms backwards to support my weight. I pushed myself out from underneath the paralyzed stranger by scooting back roughly one meter before I was satisfied. I finally gathered my strength to stand up. The stranger finally snapped out of their daze—they mimicked my movements and stood up after a few pained seconds.

When I finally glanced up, I had to blink in bewilderment at the stranger. I had expected a rugged man who appeared to have no respect for anyone, but this was the complete opposite. The stranger had to be a foreigner—his whole appearance was practically screaming that. I wouldn't have been surprised if I saw a name tag on him saying 'I'm not from here'. My ego definitely took a hit as I looked at him. The man was definitely taller than me, probably about three quarters of a head taller. He had tanned skin that was practically glowing, it was still quite a surprise to see tanned skin—I had gotten used to only seeing my own skin properly, which was incredibly pale. His face was defined and had all the required features that could be classed as attractive. I was comfortable enough with my sexuality to admit he was slightly good looking for a male. His mouth was warped into an 'o' shape whilst his brown eyes were impossibly wide and shining. He looked positively shocked at my appearance, but I couldn't hold it against him. He was blonde, with slightly longer hair than my own, which seemed to shine when there wasn't much light about. His attire was plain compared to the rest of his appearance. I was half expecting him to wear something flashy from his appearance, but I was somewhat shocked when I really saw what he was wearing. It was just a simple white long sleeved shirt and a pair of black trousers. I thought I could see a tattoo along the side of his neck, but I quickly kicked the thought out of my mind. There weren't any flashy accessories nor were there any additional pieces of clothing. I couldn't glance down at his shoes without being glaringly obvious. I suspected that the shoes were the whole point of the outfit—I smirked a little when I imagined they might have been outrageous. I definitely should have looked at them first, after all shoes are one of the most important factors of judging someone; that and their teeth.

The seconds ticked by as I was staring at his face, waiting for him to speak or at least apologize before I could cause him pain. My eyebrow arched itself up when I noticed his mouth was still hanging open, it was like he couldn't believe what was before him.

I almost slammed my palm into my face after I'd pieced together the situation. I knew he was a foreigner; that had to be his problem. This male had to be in a completely different country than his own and had just crashed into a brooding teenager. He'd probably be scared out of his wits—who wouldn't when they'd crashed into someone who looked dangerous. That's why his mouth was probably hanging open, most likely in disbelief and fear. He'd probably only recently learnt the language too, that's why he wasn't able to speak it in these sorts of situations.

"Just watch where you're going or I'll―" _Bite you to death._ I stopped myself from announcing my threat at the last minute. The man was already scared and if I threatened him, even a little bit by accident, he'd probably become traumatized from this situation. Usually, I'd smirk and continue on to threaten him, but I felt pity for him for some odd reason. His face was still in the same position as before and I swore I could see a fly go into his mouth. If I was in his situation, I'd definitely be wary of a rough teenager.

Leaving was the best option. I did just that after I'd looked at him for a few more awkward seconds. I didn't want to get caught up with him, even if I did feel some pity for him. It wasn't my fault we'd ended up in that situation; therefore I didn't need to take responsibility. I'd taken around five steps before I felt a tug through my jacket, eventually reaching onto my shirt. Immediately, my hands reached into the pockets within my jacket and produced a pair of tonfas. I turned around quickly, ready to traumatize whoever had entered my personal bubble without permission. I never gave anyone permission. When I did turn around, I didn't expect what happened next. My face smashed into his chest again and I let a hiss make its way out of my throat at the pain. It was getting incredibly annoying—this man kept bugging me and inflicting pain without realizing it. I was surprised at our lack of distance, but I didn't let it show on my face. I didn't want to give him an opening to see me weak, even if I would never see him again.

When I looked up to see his face, I blinked again in bewilderment. The foreigner was smiling down at me brightly—as if I hadn't almost threatened him less than a minute ago—and was extending a piece of paper towards me. I eyed him warily for a few moments before mentally shrugging. The piece of paper simply had a name written upon it and I did recognize the name; it was Tsunayoshi Sawada's. He was a student at Namimori Middle School and had recently been creating a few problems with his followers. That herbivore never used to crowd with others. I narrowed my eyes a little at the name, remembering the screams his group caused the other day. It was annoying having to frequently silence them. I didn't have a relationship of any sorts with Sawada, but I knew where his house was due to the school records. It made me feel slightly disturbed that I could remember it—my memory really was something to be feared. I stashed my tonfas away before I realized something. I still felt pity towards the blonde, but that didn't justify the actions I took.

My actions were odd. I tapped him lightly on the shoulder before continuing on to point down the street. I had initially done that to show him the direction of Sawada's house, but something inside me practically pushed me to walk in the direction I had pointed. I was surprised on the inside at my own actions—I never helped anyone. I could hear heavy footsteps behind me and assumed that the blonde had caught up with me. My guess was right. After a few seconds, he matched his footsteps to mine and was walking silently beside me. I wouldn't lie and say it wasn't the least bit awkward. It was incredibly awkward—I could feel him sneaking glances at my face frequently. The oddest thing happened; I could feel my skin prickling where his gaze was lingering. I shuddered internally at the feeling; the experience was completely new. The blonde was probably wary of whether I was actually helping him or not. I wasn't about to whip out a knife and mug him; that wasn't my style.

I ignored his presence and carried on walking in the direction of Sawada's house. We passed various streets with him still glancing at me whilst I was just staring ahead. I refused to look at him—I would have probably pity him more or punch him in the face for looking at me. It only took at least five minutes until we reached Sawada's street. His house was within view, and I could clearly see as we were getting closer that Sawada himself had come running out. His brown hair was moving in the wild and was hitting him in the face a couple of times. His eyes were wide whilst his mouth was stretched into a large grin. I could tell he hadn't noticed me yet—I didn't exactly want him to. I didn't want anyone to know that I had helped a complete stranger. Sawada's eyes were only on the blonde and I took that as my cue to leave. Turning around quickly, I briskly started walking back the way I came.

"Hibari-san?" Sawada let out a strangled cry.

It was the usual response I got whenever someone noticed me, but it occurred despite whether I glared at them or not. It was always the same response—fear. I didn't mind it one bit, but Sawada's reactions were always over the top. He'd either shout in a high pitched voice or flail his limbs. His reaction made me think though. The foreigner hadn't had the same reaction as Sawada. He was only slightly scared of me, but he didn't recoil from my presence like I was a fatal disease. I had probably helped him because I was curious about him, but walking him here didn't answer any of my questions. I concluded he was probably a naïve man. _Very _naïve.

To answer Sawada, I simply looked over my shoulder at him. His expression changed to terrified in less than a second. It was actually quite comical—it seemed that just looking at me made him tremble. I sighed internally before I snapped my head back to its original position. I started to walk back in the direction I came from when I felt another tug through my jacket, latching onto my shirt in exactly the same place. _If it's that foreigner again, I swear I'm going to make him bleed. _I turned around quickly, ready to punch him. He was intruding my bubble again and I was getting more agitated as the seconds in his presence passed. I knew my eye was twitching like crazy, but I opened my mouth to leak out profanities.

Words never escaped from my mouth. Before I could even suck in a surprised gasp, I felt lips crushed onto my own. I froze at the feeling of his lips—I'd never kissed anyone before and I certainly hadn't shown any indication that I wanted to kiss him. I definitely didn't want to; I wasn't homosexual. He took advantage of my open mouth and slipped his tongue inside. If I didn't have awful reactions at that point, I would have slammed my teeth down on his tongue and made him bleed. I was too busy being frozen in shock. My shock increased when I felt his tongue roughly rub against my own and then entangle itself. He carried on delving into my mouth and stroking my tongue in an urgent manner. I didn't make any move to start kissing him back—instead, I was feeling disgusted and frozen from the general shock. I could feel a moan building at the back of my throat at the new sensation, but I quickly fought it back.

I was gasping for air before my mind could fully piece together what had happened. I clumsily put my hands on his chest and used all of the strength I could muster up to shove him back. I wanted him to get away from me at that moment in time. I saw surprise flicker across his face—his expression seemed as though he was desperate for more. I swore I could see a pang of sadness in his eyes too. A quiet growl ripped its way out of my throat when I realized he thought I wouldn't put up a fight. He really had thought that I'd put up with being assaulted by a stranger. The sudden movement from him and then the fact that he was still in my personal bubble had me fuming. I had never given him permission or the slightest nod of approval to come near me. He hadn't even said one word to me—but he was quick to make advances.

I clenched my right hand into a fist. I really wanted it to make contact with his jaw and make him feel pain. I wanted to slam my fist into his face over and over until he was coughing up blood. I was disappointed when he noticed the glare on my face and the fist. He probably quickly pieced together the two and then realized what I was going to do.

The chance to punch his face and make a nice indent never came—with ease; he grasped both of my wrists in one hand and held them together. I was fuming even more at that point—I'd never had anyone restrain me before. It definitely wasn't a nice experience. My frowned deepened as I attempted to struggle out of his hold. I didn't know where all my strength had gone at that moment. Normally, I'd be able to get out of his hands. I was too preoccupied with trying to struggle out of his hold that I didn't realize his face had moved in dangerously close to my face. I saw him continue moving until his mouth was only a few centimetres away from my ear.

"Thank you for guiding me here," he whispered. I could feel his warm breath assaulting my skin; I never had anyone this close to me without physically hurting them. I hated every second of it, but I was still being held. I jumped slightly, just enough to humiliate me, when I felt his teeth lightly skim over my earlobe, barely touching, but this subtle action created new sensation. I definitely didn't like it and I didn't approve of how my body was reacting. It seemed to be enjoying what he was doing to me. The blonde leaned closer to my ear and gently took my earlobe into his mouth. My skin felt warm at that moment, too warm to be comfortable. I felt my breathing hitch at that. _What the fuck is he doing? _My question was answered when I felt him nibble on the skin lightly. My breathing was definitely audible as he continued. He finally released my earlobe from his mouth and when I thought he would move away, he gave my ear a slow lick. I flinched in disgust at the action, which caused him to move again.

The new sensations were too much for me. Before I could fully comprehend what the hell he'd done to me, I realized that my heartbeat had increased. My breathing was slightly ragged too. I could feel my vision become slightly blurry and I hoped that it was in anger. It could've just been a mixture of two things though; humiliation that I'd let a stranger take the upper hand or simply anger.

After I realized what exactly this man had done to me, anger took over all my senses. I could feel my face twist into a harsh glare and a snarl coming out of my throat. I definitely needed to inflict pain on him. The foreigner released my wrists with a low chuckle. His eyes were shining, almost twinkling, with glee. My thoughts left me at that moment. I knew more than anything that at that moment I wanted to take my revenge. I wanted to beat that man black and blue. I wanted to cause him enough injuries that he had to go into intensive care. I wanted to drag out his pain and make it come at the time he didn't expect. His expression was expectant and upon noticing that, I devised a plan.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. My breathing had finally returned to normal at that point in time and I couldn't have been more grateful. It was a horrible feeling having to take in ragged breaths that anyone could hear. When I glanced up at the blonde, his face completely changed in less than a second—his expression went from expectant to astonishment. I took his surprise as my cue to finally take my revenge. I slammed my awaiting fist into the man's stomach with all the strength I could muster up at that moment. I smirked when I heard his pain and felt his breath splash across my face. I had successfully knocked the air out of him and hopefully his smug expression too. The blonde stumbled a step back, clutching his stomach whilst making a pained expression. There was definitely surprise splashed across it—he really was insane to think I wouldn't give him a few bruises.

I roughly grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled his face towards mine.

"I'll bite you to death next time, Herbivore," I hissed into his ear.

At that moment, I remembered what he had done do me earlier. I mimicked his actions from before and leaned in dangerously close to his ear. I let my breath assault his skin whilst he waited for my next movement. Before he had time to react, I bit down onto his cartilage hard enough to draw blood. I was beyond satisfied when I felt the copper liquid instantly flow out. Some started dribbling down my chin from my action, so I awkwardly wiped it away. The blonde produced a painful growl and I was satisfied with my revenge for now—it was good enough to let me plan my actions for later. I took my hand out of his hair and turned away.

I proceeded to walk away like nothing had ever happened. Like I'd unintentionally walked down this street delaying my trip back to my apartment.

"Dino, are you okay? Why'd you have to do that?" I heard Sawada panic.

The only reply I could make out from the distance between us was a subtle whistle.

_Dino, huh? _I shook my head quickly and started to walk back to my apartment. I would try to forget about today.

In my chest, my heart was pounding. It was beating more than after a marathon. It felt almost as if it was fluttering. It was a new, unwelcome sensation.


	2. Circumstances

**Beta'd by fuwacchi.**

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter two—Circumstances

**DPOV**

I could see someone moving towards my bed, I could barely make out the figure due to the lack of light. Only the moonlight was pouring through the windows and I wanted nothing more than to turn the light on to look at who the hell it was. The moonlight eventually trailed over the stranger's hair. It was reflecting on it nicely, creating a nice shine. From what I could tell from the subtle lighting, it was a young boy—maybe around the age of seventeen—with dark hair. I knew it wasn't the best kind of situation to be in, but I wasn't wary of the stranger. If I was honest, I knew he wasn't dangerous. I didn't know how I knew this, but he just didn't have the vibe of a murderer. I slowly raised myself up from my mattress, trying to see the boy in front of me better. My duvet fell down and started pooling onto my lap. I quickly lifted one hand up to rub my eyes, checking to see if what was before me was actually real. When I opened my now sore eyes again, the boy had gotten closer. He had advanced and taken advantage of my bewilderment. Since he'd gotten closer, the moonlight was shining on him more now. I could definitely tell he had dark hair now—it was raven coloured. I could see the light shining on his chest as well. _Wait, chest? _I gulped a little when I noticed he didn't have a shirt on. He didn't seem bothered by this at all. He didn't seem to notice it either; he just carried on walking towards me. I could make out the colour of his eyes now and was staring at them in awe. They were definitely a rare shade—I hadn't seen anyone with dark silver eyes before. The moonlight was capturing their colour in a strange manner. At some angles they looked almost black. They were narrowed too, almost half lidded. I shuddered in delight a little at his expression—there wasn't any emotion on his face apart from his eyes that were practically dancing. I wanted to look into the boy's eyes for minutes on end; the colour was just too hypnotizing.

Before I could count to ten in my head, he'd gotten a lot closer to me. He'd already climbed onto the bed while I was distracted again. I would be lying if I said my heartbeat didn't increase when I saw him on his hands and knees, crawling towards me. I felt a subtle throbbing down there as well—but I brushed that aside for now. When I finally took in his whole form in front of me, I felt my mouth gently open. I knew it was hanging open and I couldn't care less. I simply concentrated on trying to take all of the boy's figure into my mind. He was skinny, but not to the extreme, yet he had slight muscles along his arms. As my gaze travelled down his body, I noticed he wasn't wearing any trousers. He was only clad in a pair of black boxers. I saw the shine on the material and guessed they were silk. I couldn't tear my gaze away from this part of his body for awhile and I felt my cheeks start to flame. I mentally winced with embarrassment—I barely ever blushed. My heart rate started to increase a considerable amount and my breaths came out almost like pants. I was mortified at my reaction. I'd only seen a scantily clad male and I was acting like a love struck teenager. The fact I had this reaction towards a male had me panicking on the inside as well—I didn't think I was homosexual. I felt a tingling sensation in my stomach, slowly spiralling around, and glanced down at it quickly. It was a weird sensation—I wasn't used to it either. It spiralled around in my stomach for a few seconds and then travelled down lower. I felt the throbbing increase and I groaned. I still couldn't comprehend my reaction.

He stopped moving for a minute and was just staring at my face. There were still no emotions present on his face—but the glint in his eyes was slowly becoming brighter. I found myself gulping a couple of times before my eyes widened. His gaze travelled to my throat and he smirked as I was gulping. He definitely knew what he was doing and was enjoying it. The smirk was becoming bigger as the seconds passed and I found myself panicking slightly. I ran a hand through my hair and thought about what was happening. I had a random boy in my bed practically seducing me by just moving and he was scantily clad. I could feel his gaze on my face, trying to make sense of my actions. The blush had finally died down from my cheeks—my blood had gone down below to somewhere else. I removed the hand from my hair and put it in my lap and faced the boy in front of me. I didn't know what his next move would be and I was definitely curious. His smirk grew even more from my movements and I tried to stop my eyes bulging. I had the feeling that that was the closet I'd get to a smile from him. It had its own charm to it, I couldn't deny that.

The boy started crawling towards me again and I felt myself move back slightly. I couldn't move very far though, after two scoots my back was against the headboard. I felt the cold wood against my bare skin and tried to resist the urge to shudder. He moved faster now and before I could blink, he was almost in my lap. He had settled himself between my legs and was staring up into my eyes. The smirk had finally gone off of his face—there were no emotions across it again. He was definitely bold and held no worries about being close to me. He seemed to trust me in a weird way, but I didn't have a clue who he was. I'd never laid eyes on him before, I was sure of that. I wouldn't have been able to forget someone who looked like him. I closed my eyes, completely forgetting the situation, whilst thinking about who he could be. I didn't know whether he was involved in the mafia or not—but I doubted that due to his age.

I felt his breath on my face—fanning me. My breathing hitched when I felt something soft come into contact with my jaw. He was trailing soft kisses along it and I certainly hadn't expected that. I thought he might have done something fierce at first—but he was being absolutely gentle, like I'd break any minute. I felt myself raise an eyebrow at this. _What did this boy think I was?_ My eyes widened in shock when I felt his teeth lightly graze my skin. After that, he mixed in gentle bites with his kisses too. I had to admit, it was extremely arousing.

He moved downwards and started repeating his earlier actions on my neck. When his mouth finally was just above my jugular, he started to bite. I had to bite my tongue to hold back a moan. It was an extremely sensitive area and he seemed to know that. I could feel him smirk against my throat. His hands found their way into my hair and he fisted handfuls in his hand whilst continuing to suck on my neck. I could feel a hickey forming and that brought a small smile to my lips. This boy was marking me. I felt my thoughts completely leave me when he made his way towards my ear. He gently nipped my earlobe and then started licking it slowly. At that point, I couldn't suppress my moan. I let it out and I could hear a growl forming in the boy's throat.

Upon hearing that, I felt the feeling of need surge through me. This boy had succeeded to seduce me when he hadn't even made contact with me, but now that we were this close, our breaths mingling together I couldn't understand my thoughts. I felt the urge to claim him as mine. I thought back to his actions and felt jealousy bubbling in my chest. This boy was definitely experienced and I had to fight a hiss that wanted to escape from my throat. I didn't like the thought of him with anyone else—I didn't care if they were a woman or a man, I wanted him to be mine only. I felt the jealousy fade and something else replace it within my chest when I thought about the fact he was here with me now. I wanted to get this boy to tell me everything about him. I didn't care if he was mysterious, I wanted him. I wanted to get him to tell me his name and then moan and writhe below me. I groaned slightly after imagining those images. I _really_ shouldn't have done that—I couldn't hold back any longer. The throbbing below was almost unbearable as well as the heat. I desired friction between this ebony haired boy and myself. I lifted my hands up urgently and twisted them into his dark hair.

I crashed my lips to his quickly and earned a surprised gasp from the boy. I took advantage of his surprise and slipped my tongue into his mouth. I didn't bother to make it a soft kiss, I decided to do that at a later time. What I needed at that moment was something heated and full of friction and the boy, hopefully, understood that. I wrapped my tongue around his and roughly stroked it, trying to coax him into kissing me back. It took him awhile to respond, but when he did it really did become heated. I felt him trying to win over my tongue so I humoured him for a bit. It was obvious he didn't really know what to do, so I quickly became the dominant one. Once I'd taken control, I felt him moan into the kiss. The vibration that his moan caused was wonderful—I could also feel myself twitching down below from the sound of it. We kissed for a long time and ignored the need for air. Throughout the kiss I had withdrew one of my hands from his hair and trailed it down to his lower back. I gently pushed him towards me so that he moved onto my lap with his legs positioned on either side of my body.

Pulling away from the kiss after what seemed like forever, I let him gasp for air. I slowly pushed his body back so he was lying down in front of me. When I saw the sight before me, I unconsciously licked my lips; he was incredibly attractive in that current position. I made my way down his body trailing kisses and the occasional bite here and there. I liked the reaction I got each time my tongue darted out, gently touching his skin. When I gently flicked one of his nipples with it, I was blessed with a soft moan from him. Moving back, I took in his appearance again. He was on his back, legs behind me, and had his arm covering his eyes. I frowned a little at that—I wanted to see his face completely. I felt the air leave my lungs when I paid more attention to his face. His cheeks were flushed a brilliant red and his entire body was lightly coated with sweat. It still pained me that I knew nothing about him at all—I decided to decrease my pace slightly and think of a plan.

Smiling softly to myself, I lightly trailed my hand over his clothed arousal, making sure to graze it with just enough pressure to make him squirm. I could hear the boy trying to bite back a whimper in his throat, but it was definitely there. I could hear it very faintly. I ran my hand over the flesh of his inner thigh and slowly pushed his boxers up. I quickly nodded to myself before leaning down to bite down on the inner part of his thigh, right where I was sure his skin was sensitive. He obviously hadn't expected; the strangled gasp had to be proof of that.

"A-ah!" I gently leaned in again to start sucking on the same spot—I knew he was enjoying this, I could see his boxers twitching a considerable amount. I had to mentally scold myself for going too fast. I didn't want to give him pleasure yet. If I did, my plan would have been ruined.

Changing positions, I brought his face closer to mine. I was going to pull him in for a heated kiss again, but I stopped short when I saw his expression. It was absolutely alluring. His eyes were slammed shut whilst his teeth were biting into his lip. I could faintly see the blood flowing from his lip from the action. His cheeks were still flushed but they were even more scarlet now. I groaned quietly from seeing it—I didn't know how to control myself anymore.

I moved my face near his ear and lightly licked it whilst positioning myself. I gentle rubbed my clothed arousal by his backside. I was merely testing the waters so I didn't expect his reaction; it was better than I anticipated. His eyes burst open and were wide while his mouth formed an 'o' shape. I took that as a good sign. I smirked a little against his ear whilst I put my plan into action.

"I'll continue if you tell me your name," I whispered before I gently grazed my teeth against his earlobe.

My hips pulled back while I waited for an answer. I wanted him to be begging for the friction—I settled with nibbling lightly on his ear instead. I could hear the boy panting heavily below me.

"Hibari―" he moaned.

I woke up gasping for air. I quickly sat up and clutched at my chest, trying to breathe properly. I knew that was a dream, but it was still intense. I'd had erotic dreams before, but they were never like that. I could practically feel the heat that was created between us and I didn't understand it one bit. That was also my first dream about a male. _What the heck was that about?_ I knew I wasn't gay, but I'd be lying if I said that wasn't the best wet dream I'd ever had.

Cautiously pulling the sheets off of me, I glanced down and gulped at what I saw. I definitely had an erection—the shape of my boxers confirmed that. I didn't know whether or not I should have been freaked out about the fact I was attracted to a male. I'd never felt they were attractive before—but here I was now, with an erection from being attracted to something my mind had made up. I let my face slam into my palm quickly before I started making my way to the bathroom. I showered quickly in cold water. I was still shaken up about the fact my dream was about a guy—I wasn't going to masturbate whist thinking about him either. I knew I wasn't homosexual and I was going to stick to that.

I was shivering after I had stepped out the shower. The cold water had helped a considerable amount towards my temperature at that moment. I quickly dried myself with the towel and then wrapped it around me. When I opened the door to my room, I saw my subordinate, Romario sitting at the desk. He glanced up at the sound of my door opening and smiled cheerfully at me. I couldn't help but smile back at him, despite how cold I was feeling.

"Boss, you need to get going to Japan. Tsuna's expecting you."

My eyes widened a considerable amount from what he had said. _How could I forget? _I barely ever made it to see my cousin and I'd forgotten that I had a flight today. I was going to be staying there for a month and had completely forgotten. It was a good thing I'd done all my packing beforehand—I didn't think I could have managed it today.

"Alright! I'll get going in a minute," I exclaimed cheerfully.

I didn't want to make a bad impression for my visit to Japan—it was probably around the third time I'd been there. I winced slightly as I thought about the bad reactions I'd get for the tattoo on my left arm. I could only think about hiding it—so that's what I did. I slipped on a white shirt and black trousers; simple.

The plane had taken ages to get to Japan and I was practically doing a happy dance in my seat when I'd landed. It was awkward sitting down for hours on end—I wanted to get up and stretch my legs a bit. I'd tried to remember my dream on the plane, but some_ reactions_ happened whenever I thought about it. I quickly threw the thought out of my mind when I noticed. It took at least two hours in a taxi to finally get to Namimori. I quickly thanked the man and paid him the correct amount of money.

As soon as I had stepped out of the cab, I realized I didn't have a clue where I was. I couldn't remember the way to Tsuna's house at all. I probably should've memorized it or at least recognized some of the streets. I had no such luck—I even looked at the signs and I didn't recognize any of them. I face palmed a little at the fact I was here alone. I could have taken a few of my subordinates with me if I wanted to, but I doubted whether we'd be welcomed into the country if I had intimidating males walking around with me in suits. They definitely stood out wherever they went.

I closed my eyes and sighed quietly to myself. I really needed to think about what I was going to do.

Before I realized what had happened, I found out that I had impacted with someone. As I tried to stabilize myself and stop from falling on top of them, I noticed that he was taking the same action. This didn't work out well—it just increased the rate that we were falling. I heard a soft groan from in front of me and assumed that the stranger had realized we were falling too.

After we'd fallen on the ground, I realized we'd landed in a rather suggestive position. If I was comfortable and back in my own country, I probably would've started laughing at my luck. I was about to crack a joke about it, too, but I felt my heart skip a beat when I looked down to see my victim. What I saw before me was a young boy who looked strikingly similar to the one in my dream from what I could tell. His face was smashed into my chest at that moment so I couldn't confirm my suspicions. I knew I should've moved backwards and immediately started to apologize, but I was frozen to the spot. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I heard a growl below me and then the young male started to move. He quickly pushed himself away from me and proceeded to stand up. I quickly shook my head and mimicked his movements. I'd completely forgotten I was still on top of him and needed to move. Once I stood up and looked at the boy fully, I felt my heartbeat increase.

His eyes were the exact shade they were in my dream—a dark silver. I could see the sunlight capturing a few of the lighter specks within his irides making them almost sparkle. They were almost half-lidded, but I assumed they were naturally narrowed. His hair was coal coloured and was extremely shiny. It was slightly shorter than my own, but a lot fluffier. I had to resist the urge to run my hands through it. The ebony colour was glossy and absolutely perfect for his complexion. I loved the fact his skin was the colour of cream—it made every feature upon him stand out. His blank expression had me worried though—there wasn't any hint of affection, love or even recognition. This boy obviously hadn't dreamt of me, as I him. His obsidian irides seemed to be expectant, waiting for something. I wasn't sure what he wanted. _Was I supposed to say something in this situation?_

I was absolutely positive my mouth was hanging open.

My gaze eventually travelled down to look at his lips and I felt my heart skip a beat. They were almost pulled into a pout. I wanted nothing more than to gently brush my lips against his, but I had to bite that thought back and save it for another time when I saw him arch an eyebrow.

We stared at each other for a few minutes. I didn't see any emotion in his eyes, but they were still incredible to look into. I could see all the different shades of silver that were embedded in his irides. His whole expression seemed to change after a few seconds—his lips twitched a little and his eyes became impossibly brighter. I was sure my mouth opened even more after seeing that. I started to get my hopes up that he really did recognize me.

"Just watch where you're going or I'll―" he breathed.

I blinked. I hadn't expected him to come out with anything like that. He definitely misunderstood the situation and I didn't know how to correct him.

He locked gazes with me one last time before quickly turning around and walking away. My thoughts left me at that moment—all I wanted more than anything was to stay in his presence for just awhile longer. Only a few minutes seemed perfectly acceptable. I panicked when I tried to think of what to do. I took a piece of paper out from my pocket that had Tsuna's name written on it. Nodding slightly to myself, I concluded that this had to work. It was the only thing I could think of and if it did work, it was a win win situation.

The nearest part of him I could grab was his jacket. I made sure I had a good fistful before tugging on it, which successfully stopped him from walking away from me. I wasn't expecting his reaction—after I had grabbed hold of his shirt, his aura seemed to turn deadly. I couldn't help but think I'd crossed some line that was drawn. As he turned around to face me, I was taken aback when I saw his expression. His whole face seemed contorted with rage and I wanted to replace it with one of pleasure. I saw that he was wielding a pair of shiny silver tonfas—I definitely hadn't expected him to whip them out of nowhere. He obviously hadn't expected me to be as close to him as I was because when he'd fully turned around his face collided with my chest. I heard him hiss slightly in pain and I internally winced at the sound. Causing him pain wasn't my intention, I'd simply panicked beforehand.

I plastered the biggest grin I could manage at that moment onto my face—I wanted to show him I wasn't a threat. I slowly extended the piece of paper towards him. He took it into his hand and scanned the paper for a second before recognition took over his face. He definitely did know Tsuna. If I could learn his name, I could ask Tsuna all about him. I could try to develop a relationship with him too.

The young male lightly tapped my shoulder and continued on to point down the street. I internally crossed my fingers that this meant he was showing me the way. I wouldn't have mind if he was leading me to his house, either. That was always an option that was welcome. We were silent as we walked; the only sounds that could be heard were our footsteps and breathing. I was sure my breaths were slightly jagged, whereas his seemed perfectly calm and collected. I couldn't help but sneak glances at him—trying to burn his image into my retinas. I still couldn't believe that he was here before me in the flesh. I must've known him from somewhere to have had a dream about him, but I really couldn't figure out where from. He didn't show any indication that he knew me, but it was impossible that I'd made him up and then suddenly met a real life replica.

We walked silently for a few more minutes, with him looking forward and me looking at him. I wasn't trying to hide the fact I was looking at him now, I let it become glaringly obvious. I only tore my eyes away from him when we turned the occasional corner. The look of relief went over his features as he noticed something up ahead. This automatically made my curiosity increase—I quickly turned my head to see what was there that had made him sigh in relief. Tsuna was running out of his house in excitement, probably about the fact I actually made it here. He had a smile across his face and was looking straight at me. The young boy beside me turned abruptly and started walking away. _He's leaving!_ I was about to grab onto his shirt and pull him back when Tsuna caught my attention.

"Hibari-san?" he choked out.

It took all the strength I possessed in my body not to fall onto the concrete at that moment. Hibari had been the name the boy moaned in my dream and it definitely wasn't a coincidence it was this male's name, too. They had to be the same person—maybe I really had met him before. I felt the air leave my lungs when he responded to the name. It was directed at him after all. My senses left me at that moment—all I wanted to do was claim this Hibari for myself more than ever. I could feel the possessive urge building up in my chest, similar to what I had felt in my dream but much more intensified.

Hibari turned his head to the side a little; just enough to see Tsuna. I looked at the expression that he had plastered on his face and couldn't help but think it was fake. I could see a sad glint in his eyes that I wanted to fix. I glanced over to Tsuna to see what his reaction to Hibari's presence was about. I felt my eyes widen as I look properly at his face. The expression of glee that Tsuna had on before had completely melted into complete fear. He was staring at Hibari's now retreating form with wide eyes. I couldn't help but wonder why he was scared of him. I'd definitely have to question that later.

I panicked again when Hibari was walking away. I did the same foolish action I did at least half an hour ago. I tugged onto the back of his jacket. Hibari reacted exactly the same as before. I could feel the murderous aura again and gulped slightly before I continued on to do what I wanted to the most. As he turned around to face me, I crashed my lips to his. I could feel him freeze at our sudden skinship. I didn't wait for approval—I roughly shoved my tongue into his mouth and started to create friction. I stroked his tongue with my own, trying to make him realize I wanted him to be with me. I could feel a moan trying to work its way out of his throat and I was disappointed when he stopped. I would've liked the vibration in our kiss—it would've made it more intense. I was impatiently waiting for him to start returning the kiss, but his next actions caught me off guard. His hands roughly landed on my chest as I was about to deepen the kiss—I was just about to change the angle when I felt Hibari shove me backwards. I stumbled slightly from my surprise. I was probably naïve to think he would respond straight away.

His face transformed completely. In less than a second a fierce glare and a scowl was on his face, and I felt myself internally shudder at it. I definitely didn't want that directed at me again, but I couldn't help my next movements. I saw him clenching his right hand into a fist and panicked slightly. I grasped both of his wrists in one hand and held them together. I didn't want to get punched by him. I felt Hibari try to struggle out of my grasp. I saw a deep frown frame his lips when he realized he couldn't get free.

I took advantage of his feeble attempts of trying to get free and moved closer to him. I kept leaning in closer until I was literally only a few centimetres away from his ear.

"Thank you for guiding me here," I whispered. I made sure that I was close enough for him to feel my breath against his skin—gently assaulting him. I couldn't resist the temptation before me any longer so I nodded slightly to myself before I advanced. I gently trailed my teeth over his earlobe and was pleased when he reacted to my touch. Hibari obviously hadn't been expecting that. I enclosed my mouth around his earlobe and started to nibble lightly on it. I was pleased with his reaction—I could hear his breathing almost become like a pant. I released his earlobe from my mouth and then made my next move. I slowly licked the skin I'd bitten before, as if trying to soothe it. Once I was satisfied with myself for making him feel some pleasure, I moved away from him to see his face. I was hoping it would be similar to the one in my dream—where his eyes were slammed shut and his mouth was twisted in pleasure.

I was almost completely right. I was sure my mouth had opened in awe when I fully took in how he looked. Hibari was practically gasping for air with his eyes opened ever so slightly. From what I could see, they were glossy with moisture which created a new shine for his obsidian irides. I closed my eyes in relief that he really had enjoyed it. I released his wrists before slowly opening my eyes with a chuckle. I was definitely happy.

Hibari closed his eyes and then took in a deep breath. _Maybe he's shy? _I saw him tilt his head ever so slightly downwards and then open his eyes. If I had to describe his next action, it would have to be that he looked up at me through his lashes. I doubt he knew what he had done, but it was enough to almost make me gasp. I hadn't seen him look at me like that before and I couldn't have been happier at that moment.

Before I knew what had happened, the air was knocked out of my lungs. I felt it escape from my mouth with a low hiss. I looked down and was surprised at what I saw—Hibari's fist had made contact with my stomach with enough force to make me stagger backwards. I writhed in pain and proceeded to clutch onto my wounded stomach whilst trying to regain the oxygen I'd lost.

Hibari roughly grabbed my hair and pulled my head towards him.

"I'll bite you to death next time, Herbivore," he hissed into my ear.

I didn't know whether that was a hint of our relationship to come or not.

I felt Hibari move his face closer to my ear and my breathing almost hitched when I felt his breath splash across my skin. I didn't know what he was going to do. I hoped he'd nibble on my earlobe slightly to back up his last comment, but I was absolutely wrong. I felt him bite down on my cartilage hard enough to draw blood. I could feel the copper liquid leaving my ear, immediately making my skin cold as the wind slashed against it. I let a growl make its way out of my throat at his action. It was definitely painful and was going to take awhile to heal.

Hibari seemed satisfied at my painful growl as he finally let go of my hair and turned around to walk away. I wasn't stupid enough to clutch onto his shirt for the third time—I'd save that for another time.

"Dino, are you okay? Why'd you have to do that?" Tsuna was panicking beside me, practically flailing his limbs everywhere while sending worried glances at my ear.

The whole situation for today had definitely been ridiculous. I had an incredibly erotic dream featuring a boy and then met him hours later. His reaction was completely different and he wanted to bite me to death. A smile broke out on my face before I let out a whistle. My life certainly wasn't normal in any way.

"Don't worry, Tsuna. That was just a reunion of sorts," I assured him with a smile.

"Come inside, Mom will be happy to see you again! You need to clean your wound, too."

"I think you're right. I don't want this to get infected," I said nervously, scratching the back of my neck as I tried to smile at him in reassurance that I was okay.

We walked inside silently. I didn't make any move to explain what had happened between myself and Hibari earlier. Tsuna's worried eyes kept darting towards my ear. It was almost as if he expected it to fall off at any minute. It was only a subtle bite wound, but it had a meaning behind it. It proved that the boy in my dream really did exist, even if his reactions were the exact opposite. I was still smiling stupidly at the fact I'd actually met him.

"Tsuna, what's Hibari's full name?" I enquired.

Before Tsuna eventually answered, he seemed to glance around his own home to see if anyone was around. He leaned in slightly before whispering, "Kyouya Hibari."

My smile became wider and even brighter; I was going to have fun with Kyouya. Anyone that reacted like he did was sure to have been amusing to be around.


	3. Consequences

**Beta'd by fuwacchi.**

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter three—Consequences

**HPOV**

My mood the next morning could be described as only one thing; atrocious. Despite the fact the sun was shining and the sky seemed clear, it was as though there was a thunderstorm above my head; my own private menace. The events of yesterday were still reeling in my head. Whenever I thought of that man, I became overwhelmed with anger. Many times I had to diminish the urge to punch my wall. That man was completely _arrogant_, assuming I'd find pleasure from his touch. I didn't even know him, so how would he possibly know what would make me happy? I was in his presence for less than an hour, but he believed it was enough. Maybe that was why he kept sneaking glances at my face, it wasn't that he didn't trust me, he wanted to jump me. A frown settled itself onto my face. Just recalling the event made me want to hurt someone, badly. I'd never been violated in my life. It was an entirely new experience, but not one that brought pleasure. I never thought the one I'd have to fight off me would be a man; I was always popular with the female herbivores, so I assumed one day it would be one of them. A very foolish one at that.

Fuming, I lifted the covers off my body. From endlessly tossing in my sleep, I'd worked up quite a sweat. I needed to shower to get it off. My hair had became slightly full of flicks from the position I was in last night. Furiously wiping the sleepy dust from my eyes, I walked into the bathroom. A warm shower was what I needed—it would hopefully calm me down whilst I was comforted by the warmth. Just the thought of warmth made me wince and remember yesterday. The throbbing down below soon became apparent. I groaned when I realized this was the second time this had happened—It was another mixed reaction from remembering yesterday. I refused to fix it.

I turned the cold water on.

"Hibari, Hibari." A small smile, almost invisible, spread across my lips as I turned around. The bird calling my name was the only living thing I let close to me at any given time. It became attached to me a few years back when I was walking in the park; I didn't mind small animals, so when this bird came flying towards me, I welcomed it.

"Let's go to school, Hibird," I breathed.

After I'd quickly gotten dressed I frowned in disapproval. I would normally take my time and make sure my uniform was immaculate. That morning, I couldn't find the strength to do it. Lazily, I made my way towards the kitchen. I was momentarily paralyzed when I noticed the time. I only had roughly ten minutes to get to school before the bell went. Usually, I was there already and casually taking a nap either in the reception room or on the school roof. It didn't matter if I skipped breakfast or not—I was going to be late. I've never been late in my life. I'm normally the one punishing the late people, not being punished for it. I could hear the fluttering of wings behind my head as I pulled the toaster out. I plugged the lead in the socket and placed a slice of bread inside. If I had toast, I could walk and eat. I wouldn't be as late then, so my reputation wouldn't be tainted badly. Hibird had settled himself into my hair, practically making a nest for himself out of it. I pondered what topping to have; maybe Hibird would help me decide.

"Maybe jam," I mused.

A chirp came as a reply.

As I made my way to school, I ambled. I couldn't help it; I needed time to think about yesterday. I'd probably end up using someone as a punching bag as soon as I got to school. I tried thinking of an acceptable reason to punch someone, but none came to mind. Walking along at this time was a first for me, completely. Normally I'd be either in the reception room relaxing on the sofa or on the rooftop. The students around me were gaping at my appearance. They obviously expected me to emerge from the school to punish them, not appear with them ambling towards the school looking unconcerned.

My pace quickened after paying attention to the time again. I had made it just before the bell, somehow. Hibird was still in my hair sleeping. I made my way to the reception room. Students would purposely move out of my way without even glancing at me. They knew not to interfere with me normally, let alone on a brooding day. As I opened the door, I glanced in to see my subordinates all in there.

"Out," I growled.

They moved without any questions. They knew not to disobey my orders—otherwise they'd most likely end up in hospital. My second in command, Kusakabe, did glance at my face with a worried expression. I cut off all contact with him with a glare. As soon as they left the room, I slammed the door. I proceeded to create a sign to warn people not to enter. No one would be stupid enough to ignore it. I placed the sign upon the front of the door and framed the edges with masking tape. It would only fall off if someone did something to it purposely. I strolled back into the room and moved towards the sofa. It looked inviting, definitely the perfect place for a nap. After all, I had barely any sleep last night from being angry. I curled myself up upon it. As soon as I tilted my head, Hibird woke up, he flew off and disappeared somewhere. I didn't have the energy to lift my head and see him fly away. It didn't take long for me to settle my breathing to a slow pace. Before I knew it, my consciousness was gradually slipping. Before I was completely out, I moved my head closer to my body and placed my hands under it. I almost smiled at how comfy this position was.

Someone was moving around the room, I could definitely hear them. Despite the fact I was half conscious, I could make out the faint sounds of footsteps. It seemed as though the intruder was attempting to mask his presence; the footsteps were subtle and painfully slow. As I sat up, I let out a groan. My limbs were still asleep and heavy to move. I groggily stretched my arms over my head whilst attempting to open my eyes. I heard a chuckle from above me. To look up, I leant back but all my eyes met were a pair of twinkling brown ones.

"Were you sleepy, Kyouya?" he whispered.

I blinked. "Who are you?" I enquired.

The man before me was not someone I recognized. I had the feeling I should have, but I didn't. It was as if my mind was screaming at me to recognize him. He was already calling me by my first name so he was apparently close to me. I frowned—I didn't remember giving anyone permission to call me Kyouya. I moved my hands to rub my eyes in an attempt to wake up quickly. Normally, it didn't take this long to wake up. I was usually fully aware in less than a second, due to my light sleeping habit. I was drained from barely sleeping last night, that had to be why my reactions were failing me.

His breath blew into my ear.

I'm sure my face at that moment was an array of emotions. At first I was surprised when I recognized this man, but then that quickly faded into fury. It was the foreigner from yesterday, who apparently had came back to harass me again. A growl forced its way out of my throat, warning the man not to come any closer.

"Wait, Kyouya—Calm down, I just want to speak." He put his hands up.

I stared at him with my fiercest glare I could muster up. "You have five seconds to spit out who you are," I demanded.

The answer never came. Instead, the blonde simply looked at me. His eyes held completely different emotions, some contradicting each other from what I could tell. I didn't know how to react—he was just awkwardly staring at me. As if waiting for me to make the first move. When it finally dawned on me that he had no intention to answer whatsoever in this situation, I fingered the tonfa that was hiding inside my jacket. Before he had any time to react, or even jump out of the way, I raised it to his throat in a harsh manner. I applied enough pressure onto it, obviously implying I wanted him to tell me, that it would hopefully bleed. The man gulped.

"Dino Cavallone," he purred.

My suspicions were completely correct at this point. This man really was a foreigner, but he could speak Japanese. Yesterday was obviously an act. But why did he not speak yesterday except for one sentence? Cavallone's eyes were sparkling whilst looking into mine, but ever so slowly, his gaze was cast downwards. I could feel my skin prickling wherever he looked at me. By my reaction, I could tell he was looking at my lips. It was like yesterday, when I could feel where he was looking on my face. I inwardly grimaced that I was paying too much attention to him at that moment, but it couldn't have hurt to be precautious. If he was thinking about yesterday, I didn't want to risk a repeat of that, so I did the only thing I could think of. I punched him in the face and walked away. I was smirking to myself as I walked out of the room, it felt good for my fist to come into contact with his cheek, even if it was only briefly.

As I was walking away, I brought my phone out of my pocket. I needed to check the time; I wanted to know whether or not classes were over already. _Had I slept the day away only to be disturbed by a pervert?_ My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when I saw it was quarter past five. I had definitely slept the whole day. That meant there were many herbivores that went unpunished today. I'd need to get them tomorrow and also get a report from Kusakabe about what had happened throughout the day.

I practically power walked all the way to my apartment. I didn't want to speak to anyone, not even look at anyone. I'm not sure when, but along the way Hibird joined me. As I was pulling my keys out of my pocket, I saw a flash of yellow on my shoulder. I inwardly smiled; my companion knew not to make any noise and disturb me. I had no appetite by the time I had made my way to the kitchen. Making dinner meant a lot of effort needed to be put in. Effort that I couldn't conjure up at that moment; I settled for instant ramen instead. As I sat at the kitchen table, my gaze went to the note and the credit card my mother had left. The note didn't particularly perk my interest, but the card did. My mother had never left that card before. Normally it would be a blue one, the same as always. But this one was completely different, I didn't even know the code for this particular one. I would have to call my mother if I wanted to withdraw any funds. I groaned; that would be a painful experience. She would be asking pointless questions and if I didn't answer them with enthusiasm, I wouldn't get the pin. After finishing my noodles, I reluctantly pulled my phone out. I dialled the number carefully, with a frown settled on my face.

"Hello?" The call became fuzzy. "Watch where you're going with that! You could've killed me! Oh, wait a minute―_Kyouya?_" I pulled the phone away from my ear with disgust on my face. All I could hear was shrieking and obvious frustration on the other end of the phone. I didn't want to deal with this; I considered that if I hung up at that moment and pretended it was a mistake she would give up. "Kyouya! I know you're there; answer me."

"You left the wrong card, Mother." I tried to control my tone; I didn't want to get her angry and risk not getting any funds.

"Eh? I left the usual card. What are you on about?" Her voice had become an octave higher by the end of the sentence.

The card in question was in my hand at that moment. I was inspecting it closely, ready to give the details back to her. I mentally slammed my head against my imaginary wall when I read what was on it. Releasing the breath I was holding, I curtly answered, "This is a café card."

There was no answer on the end of the phone, only the sound of fumbling.

"Oh," the line went silent for a few seconds. "I have the card here with me." An awkward laugh followed the statement.

"Sort it out, I need money." I hung up on her.

Closing my eyes, I tried to reign in my temper. I didn't want to go outside and beat anyone senseless at the moment, I needed to think of a way to get money. I couldn't get a job; if I did, I'd probably threaten the manager or other employees for trying to order me around. I couldn't hand out ads either nor could I work at a café or cake shop. I had no choice but to let my mother try to think up a plan. She'd probably send the card here, anyway. I had enough money to survive at least a month without any complications. I didn't spend money like it was oxygen, I was always careful and saved it for a dire situation. I settled myself into bed for a long sleep, but I was careful to set my alarm for seven o'clock this time. I wouldn't be late again and I surely wouldn't sleep all day instead of biting people to death.

I knew something bad would happen today. The fact I woke up in a bad mood today, maybe even more so than yesterday, had to be an omen. I was twitchy, as if waiting for the bad news to arrive. I narrowed my eyes at almost everything. On the way to school, if someone got anywhere near me, I would glare at them and they'd scuttle away with their tails between their legs yelping. No one attempted to come near me, not even my subordinates. It was going well, I had no one disturbing me nor was anyone disturbing the school. That was until I glanced outside to the entrance of the school.

Sawada and his group were crowding, I could see that clearly. They were being loud and obnoxious. My glare darkened when I remembered that Sawada had a connection to Cavallone. It was incredibly easy to make out Sawada and his friends from everyone else—they stood out no matter what. The loudest and by far the most annoying stood out the most. I could see Hayato Gokudera's appalling appearance; the white shirt hanging upon whilst a colourful t-shirt was worn underneath. He was smart enough to wear normal trousers though, without the unnecessary accessories. I had to squint when I caught sight of his silver hair, it was almost a blinking shade. Takeshi Yamamoto was at least better. His uniform was worn correctly apart from the shirt being loose. It was refreshing to see black hair as well, even if it was randomly spiked up. As I was closing in on them, I could hear their useless comments.

"Baseball idiot, don't get so close to Tenth!"

"Now, now calm down Gokudera," Yamamoto said while trying to hold back a light-hearted laugh.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Get away from him!"

"Sorry, sorry." Yamamoto laughed. My eye twitched at hearing it. These idiots were happy and being unnecessarily loud this morning. Another thing that annoyed me was their intimacy level and how they shared it with others. Especially Yamamoto—he sometimes attempted to talk to me as if we're old friends. Sawada noticed my presence when I was about two meters away from them. He visibly started sweating and became pale in an instant. _My face reflects my mood so well._ I huffed slightly and carried on approaching him. His friends reacted to my presence after they noticed Sawada's condition.

"Hi-Hibari-san," he stuttered.

"Stop crowding. Sawada, I need to talk to you alone."

"What? Don't you dare go near the Tenth!" Gokudera spat at me. I wouldn't be surprised if he started marking his territory like the dog he really was. My eye was already twitching from their level of noise, but now that it was directed at me I couldn't hold my anger in anymore. A low growl made its way out of my throat.

"Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto, go on ahead. I'll be fine."

The two grudgingly—mostly on Gokudera's part—walked away to their classroom. I could see them looking over their shoulders quite a few times as they made their way across the entrance.

"How long is Cavallone going to be in Namimori?" I asked.

I could see Sawada starting to fidget under my gaze. He seemed to open his mouth a few times and then shut it again. He looked like a gasping fish—a pathetic one. It took him two more tries until he finally answered with, "Until he gets bored."

My eye twitched again. _Until he gets bored?_ That could be forever and I damn well didn't want him coming to annoy me daily. My bad mood increased from hearing that from Sawada himself—if it was just a rumour, I could pass it off as fake. But now, I knew for sure that that man was going to be around for awhile. I'd just have to steer clear of Sawada's road. With my anger increasing again, I looked at Sawada's face one last time and turned around. I stormed off into the school hoping to find peace. I wanted somewhere quiet so I could calm myself down. I still had to think about how to get money. I didn't particularly trust my mother—she always had stupid schemes that seemed to go wrong.

Before I knew it, I'd silently made my way to the rooftop. It seemed that even when I wasn't thinking of where to go, I knew the best place. No one would dare to disturb me here, not even my subordinates. Students don't come up here either—not even at break or lunch. I settled myself down around the corner from the door. From this position I could see some of Namimori. The sun was shining in the sky, slightly getting in my eyes, and making everything seem as though it was glowing. I inwardly smiled at the sight. With the sun, the trees and building seemed to be peaceful and without clutter. I couldn't see any individuals roaming the streets, it was just the view of nature and the products humans had made.

I was enjoying the feel of the wind in my face when my pocket started vibrating. I pulled my phone out quickly and was surprised to see who was calling so quickly. I answered it with a stern, "What?"

"Kyouya, someone's going to move in with you," my mother answered calmly.

"What?" I asked again.

"You're getting a roommate."

"Hn?" I replied, not sure what else I could've said.

"I forgot to ask his name. He's paying a lot though, so you'll be fine for months." She was practically laughing at her luck.

"When is he moving in?"

"Today at six o'clock." After receiving that answer, I hung up.

Glancing at the time quickly, I realized I had six hours until the roommate would come round. I didn't want to share my apartment with a random man, but if that was the only solution my mother could find for leaving the wrong card, I had to accept it. Grumbling, I settled down for a nap on the ground. Even though it wasn't exactly comfortable, I wanted to relax until school was out. That way, I could bite someone to death as soon they came running out of the doors. I set an alarm for three o'clock. I snuggled into the crooks of my arms and eventually tried to settle my breathing down. I didn't remember dreaming, but when I eventually regained consciousness, my intuition was flaring. I glanced at my clock, noting that I had a few minutes left before the alarm would go off. I quickly picked myself up from the floor and started wiping the imaginary dust off my uniform. Glancing at my surroundings, I made my way to the entrance gate. I stood to the left pillar, crossing my arms across my chest and one foot against the wall. I glanced into the sky, noticing the lack of clouds, and waited for the herbivores to come out from their classes. There were probably a few that needed to be punished for yesterday when I was napping.

After the bell had gone, people were coming out in groups; some with girls, some alone. I waited until I spied a selection of people that were unfit to represent Namimori. There were five of them—all of which had unnecessary accessories on their uniform. Two of them had studded belts and jewellery, whilst others didn't have the required shirt on. I slowly walked up to them, staring at their leader. He was the worst of them all. He seemed to have tattoos up along his arms, but I doubt they were real. I could faintly see the signs that there was peeling. Either he had been in the sun too long, or those tattoos were faked. I picked the latter. As I was approaching, I saw one of them gulp and poke their leader to warn them of my presence. His face seemed to lose its entire colour within a second. His smirk and smugness in his eyes diminished, too. I smirked as I fingered my tonfa; I liked the effect I had on delinquents when I went near them. Even though I've never dealt with them before, they knew who I was.

They were not given time to react. Before they could, I ran up to the leader and slammed my tonfa into his chin. His face contorted in pain and he stumbled back a few steps. I took advantage of his bewilderment and punched his stomach with my full strength. He immediately fell on the floor gasping in pain. I aimed two more hits into his companions' chests, knocking them over and making them pant whilst attempting to regain their breath. As I whacked their faces, I was amused by their attempts of running away. They stumbled slightly, but when they finally regained their senses they ran away as fast as their legs would take them. They didn't even turn around once to see if the others were okay; they only cared about their own skins. That's one of the things I hate about crowds. They're fake—only caring for themselves. I turned back to the leader after I'd watched the cowards run away. I blinked when I saw what was left. There was just a puddle of blood. He had obviously run away whilst I was distracted, I huffed internally when I realized they didn't even want to put up a fight—they just wanted to scuttle away back to their own homes which assured them safety.

Quickly, I checked myself over for any splatters of blood from the one-sided fight. Once I was satisfied that there was none on me, I made my way back to the apartment. I didn't want to make a bad impression, even if it was a stranger, if that happened; I doubt they would pay as much. Since this was the only solution my mother had mentioned, I needed to make sure it was fine. I slowly strolled to the apartment, taking my time. Whilst I was doing this, I thought about what could happen in the next few months. There were many possibilities to what this man would be like—he could either be smart and avoid me or a fool and constantly annoy me. My eye twitched—for the millionth time today—whilst I tried to reign in my anger.

When I realized what the time was after I'd fished out my keys, I frowned to myself. On the way back, I had gotten distracted by the quiet atmosphere in the park. I had sat down on a bench, gazing at the sky as the leaves slowly fluttered around in the sky. It was peaceful and completely helped to lift my foul mood. I liked nature as not many things could taint it. Inside the apartment, I realized that I didn't have to do much. I just needed to restock the fridge another day and wash up a few dishes. There wasn't any mess nor were there any clothes lying about. I peeked inside my mother's room and frowned when I noticed it looked just like any other spare room. There were no possessions left inside—she had probably taken them with her—and there was barely any clothing left. I forgot that she liked to have as little as possible left in her room, carrying obscene amounts. If it made her feel at home when she was miles away, I had no reason to argue. I stalked away into my room and realized it was much like my mother's. Despite the fact I never had to pack away and move places—it still held barely any possessions; just clothes and a sheet to sleep in. I'm sure if someone came to inspect the place, it would seem that barely anyone lived here. Almost like a show home, displaying how clean it could be. I shut the door to my room and stalked into the kitchen. I filled up the bowl in the sink with hot water and soap and slowly washed the dishes. It was a nice feeling, having bubbles softly rubbing against my skin. My hands would be soft and almost sparkling after I did the dishes, for sure. I was placing the dishes on the side to dry when the doorbell went off.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, I gulped lightly. It was exactly six o'clock. The only person it could be at the door would be my new roommate. I wiped my hands on a towel to get rid of the bubbles and hesitantly went to the door. I was hoping it would be some college student who would be absorbed in his studies or a business man. The man started knocking on the door instead of ringing the bell, obviously getting impatient.

I swung the door open, took one look at his face and slammed it shut again.

My eye started twitching again and my hands turned into fists. I needed to call my mother and ask what the hell was happening. _Why the fuck was he here?_

The door opened again with the man cheerfully saying, "Hey Kyouya! Long time no see."

I glared at the man. "What are you doing here, Cavallone?"

"I'm your new roommate."

My eyes widened at his answer. Was this really the man my mother had said was rooming with me? If it was, I needed to get rid of him, straight away. _My mother approved of a pervert._ Cavallone simply grinned and strolled into the apartment. He didn't look back at me again, but started making his way around, probably investigating where he would be staying. I didn't have any sign on my door so I started getting jumpy at the fact he might mistake it for his room. I didn't want him taking one step in there at all, despite the fact it didn't look used.

"I'm guessing this is your room, Kyouya." He was leaning beside my door which I had left slightly open. I didn't know how he knew that without even glancing inside. He seemed pleased with himself as he had a smug grin settled onto his face.

"Hn." I averted my gaze from him. I didn't want to be in his company any longer, but I had to bear it for the money. I almost snorted when I rethought that statement. I sounded like a prostitute.

The shuffling of clothes and objects was audible so I immediately assumed that he found the spare room and was taking his possessions into it. I was satisfied that he knew which bedroom was his; I didn't need to direct him at all. I turned on my heel and headed towards my own room. Once I was inside, I glanced over at my bookshelf. I didn't have anything else to do, so I thought I'd read a book. After glancing at the book titles, I soon gave up. I had read every book that was in this room and I didn't feel the need to read them again. I slowly ran my hand through my hair whilst thinking of what to do. I sighed when I realized that the only activity I could do right now was homework; the homework from a few weeks ago when I finally attended class. I almost started laughing when the teacher's face came into my mind. He had looked like he was about to throw up and had paled a lot. For the first few minutes of the lesson, he kept stuttering, unsure of what to say. He was like a timid puppy except large and an eyesore. I pulled out my Algebra textbook and searched for the right page. After I had found it, I whipped out my maths book and started writing. I already knew all the answers—the work wasn't hard at all. _Maybe I really should move up to High school._ I finished the work in less than ten minutes, leaving me with nothing to do. I glanced down at my stomach and was surprised to find it wasn't grumbling. I didn't feel like eating. I didn't know where Cavallone currently was either, so I didn't want to walk right into him. Muttering incoherent things under my breath whilst looking around for my clock I noticed I didn't have one on the wall, but if I remembered correctly, I had one stashed somewhere in this room. I used to use an alarm clock to wake me up, but after I destroyed two, I gave up and left number three somewhere in the room. I found it in one of my side drawers, lurking behind a pile of papers. I pulled it out and frowned at the time. It was only quarter to seven. I placed the alarm clock on my windowsill, hoping it would be out of my reach when I was angry next time.

I placed my jacket on the chair by my desk and slowly took my socks off. A nice warm shower was what I needed—that would give me something to do, too. I opened my door quickly and made my way to the bathroom. I was happy not to see Cavallone anywhere; he was probably cooped up in his room trying to make himself feel at home. I turned the water on, hoping it would warm up quickly. It's always a dreadful experience when you get in the shower straight away and get cold water splashed all over you for a few seconds. I shivered just thinking about it. I stripped myself of all clothing, making sure there was a towel for when I was out, and then stepped into the shower. I closed the curtain around me even though it wasn't necessary. It just felt like the right thing to do, even when there wasn't any need.

It felt good to have warm water splash across my body. I tilted my head up towards the nozzle so more went across my face. I closed my eyes and smiled, enjoying the feeling. I then lathered myself with soap and rinsed and repeated once. I wanted to be completely clean and it wasn't like I had anything else to do. I turned the water off and glanced to my side. My usual shampoo wasn't on the side with all the other products, so I chose a different one. I poured some of the liquid on my hand and hesitantly sniffed it. I was happy that I did; I liked the smell. It was vanilla with a hint of cherries. If I had known we had such a shampoo before, I definitely would have used it. I'd been using a mint product for years.

After rubbing the liquid into my hair, I was pleased at all the bubbles it had created. My hair definitely would be clean and smell nice after this. I felt a twitching inside my nose whilst I was rubbing my hair, but I couldn't do anything about it. I scrunched up my nose in an attempt to get rid of the feeling, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. After I had put my nose back to normal, I sneezed. It wasn't a violent sneeze or stupidly loud. It was a normal one, but it still surprised me. I opened my eyes at the sound which was a stupid idea. Shampoo gently slipped down from my forehead and made its way into my eye. I hissed at the painful sensation it had created. I turned the water on again and closed my eyes. My left eye was tingling painfully still. I washed out the shampoo as quick as I could so I could treat my eye. I didn't enjoy the water running over my body anymore; it seemed to irritate my eye even more. After shutting the water off, I wrapped a towel around my lower body. I then approached the sink. I looked into the mirror above it and hissed when I saw my eye. It was bright red and bloodshot—I assumed I got a lot of shampoo into it. After rinsing out my eye by putting water into it, I opened the bathroom door.

I didn't expect to see what I did when I opened it. Cavallone was standing up by the sofa and looking at me wide eyed. His mouth was hanging open slightly and his face was flushed red. I mentally shrugged and started to walk away into my room. He probably just realized something important and I happened to walk in on his epiphany. I heard a crash, the sound of flesh getting slapped and a hushed curse. I turned around with one eyebrow raised, curious to see what had happened. Cavallone was sprawled over the coffee table, with his arms out in front of him flailing. His face was pressed into the table at an awkward angle, whilst his legs were dangling off. I let out a small laugh at his situation. He had obviously forgotten to look down at the table and had walked out. I couldn't say I hadn't done that a few times—it was inevitable, that coffee table was just so damn small. I smiled slightly after I was done laughing. It was nice to see someone else do that too.

Making my way towards my room, I had been put into a reasonably good mood. The shower had definitely been a good idea, without taking one I wouldn't have seen him fall over the table. The smile on my face was still slightly there after I had finished drying my hair and body. I simply put on a pair of boxers, getting ready for bed. I glanced at my clock and saw it was already half past seven. _It couldn't hurt to have an early night sometimes_. Even if I went to bed at that moment, I was bound to get up before dawn, maybe even around three in the morning. I didn't bother to set an alarm; I simply went to my bed and curled up. It wasn't that warm at first, but it soon heated up from my body. I nuzzled into my pillow liking how fluffy it was. My consciousness faded in a few minutes. I could feel something beside me in my bed. The weight was definitely there, but what made me realize it was there was the heat. It was warm and felt inviting. Without opening my eyes, I moved towards it. As soon as my forehead touched it, my body seemed to heat up. A small smile framed my lips at the sensation. I probably rolled over in my sleep and was now resting into my previous position where my warmth still remained. I didn't bother to check if I was right, I didn't particularly care right at that moment, it just felt amazing. My mind was slowly turning blank after I'd moved into the warmth. My consciousness was fading, but I swear I felt some movement. I was out before I could see what it was.

The moonlight shining into my eyes was what had woke me up. I could faintly see it through my eyelashes and I didn't welcome it. I had forgotten to close my curtains before I went to sleep and was mumbling curses under my breath. I sat up and let my duvet pool into my lap. I certainly did have a good night sleep—it was warm and amazingly comfortable. I didn't bother checking the time, I knew it was still night time. The moon was an obvious indication of that. I stretched my arms over my head liking the feeling of my muscles slowly waking up. I made my way to the kitchen after my stomach had growled. I didn't bother to get dressed, I'd do that later. It was slightly chilly in just boxers, but I soon got used to it. I got out a bowl and a spoon, and chose to eat some cereal. I didn't have cereal often but now seemed like the perfect time. I could take my time eating it and do whatever I wanted for a few hours. I settled myself down on the sofa and turned on the TV. There wasn't much on; just uninteresting documentaries, news and a random anime. I chose to watch the anime despite the fact I didn't have a clue what was going on. I just didn't feel like receiving information at the moment. My cereal was half gone when I lost my appetite. I settled it down on the coffee table and ran a hand through my hair. _What exactly was there to do this early in the morning?_ It was bound to be around five in the morning by now; meaning that I had at least four hours before I had to go to school before I was late again. I sat myself down on the sofa again, mindlessly watching whatever crap I had put on the TV. I was staring into space, not really watching it when he came behind me.

"I didn't know you liked this kind of thing." I heard him chuckle.

"I don't." I shot him an incredulous look about the fact he had the nerve to casually talk to me.

"Then why are you watching it this early in the morning?"

"There's nothing else to do." I felt the sofa go down to my right. Cavallone had settled himself down next to me. I was too distracted to ask him to leave or make any move at all. I just let him sit there whilst I continued staring above the screen. _I wonder where Hibird has wondered off to._ I hadn't seen my little yellow friend for over a day—I was starting to get worried. I furrowed my brows whilst trying to think of where he would go off to. I didn't need to be with him all the time, but he probably hadn't eaten for awhile.

Ignoring Cavallone, I stood up and made my way to the kitchen. I placed my bowl in the sink so I could wash it up later. I reached into one of the cupboards and produced a bag of seeds. I put some of them in a little saucer and went towards the window in the living room. I could feel Cavallone's stare on my back, but I ignored it and carried on towards the window. I opened it slightly—just enough for Hibird to get in—and placed the saucer on the windowsill. After I was satisfied with the placement, I went back to the kitchen to wash up my bowl. Since it had milk in it, if I left it too long it would smell bad. After I had finished washing and drying the bowl and spoon, I ran my hand through my hair again. It was slightly knotty from sleeping on it wet last night, but still looked the same.

I was too busy washing up and then with my hair, that I didn't notice that Cavallone had followed me into the kitchen. I slowly turned around to actually glance at him for the first time today. His hair was still silky looking except for the obvious flicks on the side. It was probably his version of bed head, except it looked damn near perfect, like he had intended for it to end up that way. His eyes were sparkling with excitement when he saw I was looking at him. He had a large and cheerful smile plastered across his face and looked content with himself. My gaze slowly travelled downwards and I realized why. He was in similar attire as me, except his boxers were bright red. Despite the lack of light in the room, I could clearly see the contours and abs across his stomach. I could make out the 'V' leading down there too. He was apparently extremely in shape and I felt slightly insignificant compared to him. _Ego, you've taken another hit._ I could feel my cheeks slightly burning from looking at him, but I chose to ignore it. It was probably my imagination anyway. My eyes snapped up to meet his again.

As I saw his mouth opening, I glanced down at it. His lips were moving tauntingly slow, almost begging for me to look at them. After what seemed like forever, Cavallone came out with, "You're pretty cute, Kyouya."


	4. Strangers

**Setsuna Alaude:** Don't nosebleed too much! That's just the beginning. **alugien22792:** Thank you so much for your thoughts! I'm glad you liked it. **fuwacchi:** Your comments made me really happy~ **Galux Kitty:** I'm happy you liked it! :D **dragonmage27:** I'm sorry, I didn't mean to torture you! **styllea:** It's gonna get even hotter soon! ;)

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter four—Strangers

**HPOV**

My eyes widened ever so slightly at his comment, I really hadn't been expecting that at all. I couldn't think of anything to reply, so I just stood there staring at him. I hoped that my expression was fierce, but I doubted that when I saw his cheerful smile. Either my expression faltered and showed how shocked I really was or that man was a complete idiot. I chose the latter; that way I could imagine that my pride was still intact. I huffed internally and started walking towards my bedroom. I didn't want to be in the same room as him and I definitely didn't want to be half naked in front of him again. My expression finally twisted into a scowl and when I was just about to grasp the door handle I heard a chuckle from behind me. I turned around to flash him the harshest glare that I could muster up but I was slightly startled by what I saw. Cavallone was leaning back against the kitchen side with his eyes closed. The expression on his face was as if he'd just became enlightened, he seemed incredibly happy and still had that cheerful smile on his face. His cheeks seemed to be slightly darker than the rest of his face, but that was probably due to the lack of light at this time of day. I didn't have the heart to disturb him so I slipped inside my room without insulting him.

When I was inside, I realized that my chest felt weird. It was just like the first day that I met him, except stronger this time. I was aware of my heavy heartbeat despite the fact I wasn't concentrating on my chest. I couldn't ignore it at all; it was almost painful how much it was beating. I didn't welcome this feeling and I didn't even know how it had occurred. All I knew was in the future; I'd try to do anything to avoid this happening again. It was almost humiliating how I was overreacting from a heavy heartbeat. I changed into my school uniform quickly; I didn't need to check if the clothes were clean. I knew they definitely would be. After I'd just put my socks on, I finally glanced at a clock. It was six in the morning now and I thought that would be the appropriate time to go out. I opened my door and went towards the entrance; just as I was putting my shoes on I realized something.

_Cavallone doesn't have a key. _I smirked a little at the statement and was almost tempted to leave him without one. I could lock the door and make sure he couldn't get out—but that would mean I'd have to deal with him when I got back from school. I mentally winced when I thought he'd keep annoying me until he got a key. I grudgingly pulled my keys out of my pocket. I had a spare one to the apartment and I guessed it couldn't hurt to give it to him. I didn't know whether he'd see it if I left it on the side, so I decided to go find him. Slipping my shoes off, I made my way into the living room. I didn't see any sign of Cavallone, so I assumed he might still have been in the kitchen. I glanced in there quickly and huffed a little that he wasn't there. It was getting annoying trying to find him now, we weren't playing hide and seek. But then again, it was probably my fault for not going to his bedroom straight away—that would've been the logical thing to do.

I went towards his door and knocked on it harshly two times. I didn't have the patience to wait around all day for him to answer, so I threw the door open without any reply from him.

When I saw what was before me, I wished I'd waited a few minutes.

Cavallone was half dressed and was bent over towards me whilst trying to put a pair of trousers on. I didn't want to glance at his body again for at least a few weeks. It was still a major hit to my ego when I saw it again, but further away than before. He still looked perfectly in shape in all the right places and I felt my eyes snap into a glare upon noticing this. I hissed when I noticed that the odd feeling in my chest had come back. _Did Cavallone trigger it?_ Maybe, it was just a killer instinct overreacting every time I saw him. I hoped it was—if it was something else, I probably wouldn't be able to comprehend it. The noise I made obviously alerted Cavallone of my presence; he literally seemed to tense up and quickly raised his head to see me. When he finally locked eyes with me, his eyes widened and he promptly fell on the floor.

Face first.

I raised an eyebrow at the scene before me and was instantly filled with joy. The weird feeling in my chest had finally disappeared and Cavallone had probably broken his nose in front of me. If he did, he'd probably have a crook in his nose after it heals. That would be a hit to his ego and a boost for mine. I didn't bother to help him up or clean up the blood that was pooling around him. I simply walked up to him and placed the shiny key in front of his head.

Shaking my head, I walked to the front door whilst whispering, "Pathetic."

I really couldn't believe how clumsy he seemed to be—I could understand the coffee table last night, after all I did that too, but really, falling on your face whilst getting dressed? I'm sure everyone's done it at least when whilst they were growing up, but he surely had to be an adult by now. He definitely didn't appear to be a teenager. I slipped my shoes on and closed the door behind me. I locked it just in case Cavallone was knocked out for the whole day—but I doubted that would happen, but it still couldn't hurt to be precautious.

When I'd exited the apartment building, I noticed the smirk was still etched onto my face. I promptly wiped it off, favouring my frown and glare more.

My walk to town was dull, I had made it there without glancing up from my feet. I only looked up every now and then to glare at the oncoming cars along the roads. I really couldn't be bothered to wait to cross the road, I'd rather scare the driver and walk at my own pace; and that's exactly what I did. It didn't cause any accidents which was good. As I was walking at a slower pace than before, I noticed the aroma of coffee in the air. I sniffed once more to check if it really was what I suspected. I smirked a little when I realized where it was coming from, it was a quaint little café that was shoved in the corner of town. It certainly looked fancy, but there weren't normally many costumers there. The aroma of coffee hit me again and I found myself craving for a cup of it. After all, a nice little cup of coffee was wonderful now and then. To my delight, I remembered I left my wallet in my trousers from yesterday, so there was no need to go home to get money.

I stepped into the café and was immediately impressed. I'd never actually gone in there before, but now I was regretting never doing so. It was definitely a nice place to go. The walls were painted a light blue and had peaceful paintings framing the walls. The windows on the walls weren't like other shops' where they had nothing there, this café had put lace curtains there. The place certainly had an old fashioned feeling. The counters, tables and chairs were all white as well. I walked up to the register and ordered a black coffee. I wasn't in the mood for anything overly sweet or creamy—black coffee seemed to be the perfect choice for today. I paid for my drink quickly and settled myself down in one of the chairs positioned in the corner. I was seated right next to a window which let me see into the busy street.

Various people were walking past, but what caught my eye was a fumbling blonde man in the corner. He seemed familiar, but I couldn't see his face to see whether I knew him or not. I wasn't concerned enough to walk up to him, but it was certainly amusing to watch him.

He was stumbling along the street almost like a drunk, but it was clear that he wasn't intoxicated. He kept tripping over air it seems; there weren't any obstacles in his way. I felt the laughter bubbling up in my chest when he attempted to stabilize himself, he ended up looked like a demented ballerina spinning on the spot. Of course, he fell over after his little twirl. The blonde practically ran down the street trying not to fall over.

Once my amusement was out of sight, I finished my coffee whilst ignoring the burning sensation on my throat. I didn't have the patience to wait for it to cool down. I left the café without a glance back, but I had the suspicion that I would go in there again. The coffee was definitely nice.

In less than a few minutes, I'd made it back to school. There weren't any cars on the road nor were there any students walking along when I'd finally made it there. I made my way to the reception room and sat myself down on the sofa. I needed to think what I'd want to do today, I really didn't have a clue. I probably had loads of papers that needed tending to from the past few days, but I couldn't bring myself to do them. I could order Kusakabe to do them. A frown formed on my face when I realized what day it was. It was Friday; that meant I'd have to put up with Cavallone for two days. I really didn't want to, but I didn't trust him enough to spend my free time at school and let him loiter around the apartment. I was only doing that today to test him, if he touched any of my belongings, I was definitely going to slaughter him.

I grunted and stretched out on the sofa. It definitely felt good to relax after walking for a few minutes. I closed my eyes briefly, but I snapped them open when I heard chirping. I gazed above me and felt a smile on my lips when I saw Hibird hovering above me. It was nice to see him after a day, it was definitely weird to be without him. Hibird normally followed me everywhere and sometimes even alerted me if there were crowding herbivores in Namimori.

Hibird gently settled himself down in my hair, making a nest for himself. I glanced at the paperwork on my desk and sighed a little before starting to work. Most of the papers were requests, pathetic people asking the Disciplinary Committee useless things. I merely went through them all, rejecting them one after another. I didn't feel slightly bad about it at all; herbivores should work things out for themselves. If other people did it for them, they wouldn't get anywhere in life. They'd just be trash that depended upon people for the rest of their lives whilst trying to return the favours. I frowned at the thought of owing someone a favour—it was definitely something I didn't do.

After I'd finished rejecting all the requests, I looked at the time. I was slightly surprised when I saw it was half past eleven. I didn't think rejecting had taken that long, but it had actually taken over three hours. I bit down on the inside of my cheek harshly, letting the blood flow into my mouth. I was annoyed that I'd missed my chance to kick the consciousness out of some pathetic being. I'd have to wait until lunch or the end of the day to make up for it. That irked me even more, I had to wait.

The sound of the clock ticking seemed to get increasingly louder. It started to match up with my heartbeat too.

I slammed my fist down on the desk. My patience had finally reached its limit—I couldn't wait any longer to punch somebody, nor could I stand the sound of that damn clock. I abruptly stood up from my chair and ignored it as it smashed into the wall. I stormed out of the Reception room and made my way towards the schools entrance. I didn't know why my irritation had intensified in less than two minutes, but I didn't care about that at the moment. I really needed to find something to take my anger out on, or better yet, for somebody to fight me. I didn't even glance at the curious teachers leaning out of the windows; they knew better than to question me. I merely walked outside the school and continued down an alleyway.

It was completely empty apart from the occasional fallen leaf fluttering in the wind. I growled when I realized this; I thought there would have been at least one delinquent skipping school and hiding out here. I grunted whilst I placed my hands in my pockets. It was slightly chilly out here and I didn't like the feeling at all. After a few minutes of debating internally, I decided to back to my apartment. I briskly walked through the town, ignoring the curious glances from various people. It wasn't often you saw a student skipping lessons without a care in the world. At least, that's what it looked like on the outside.

Peering down one of the alleyways, I was delighted to see an old bookshop. I often visited the shop; it had the weirdest things inside. I'd normally inwardly smirk at some of the book titles; they had the strangest things possible in that shop. Once I saw a book entitled, 'Raising the Dead for Dummies'. I opened the door cautiously, hoping to see no one inside. I didn't want to walk into a store crowded with other people, they were bound to step into my personal bubble. I jumped slightly when a bell went off when I opened the door all the way. I glanced up quickly and saw that there was an old fashioned bell placed above the door. _It suits the shop more than a beep, I guess. _

I took in my surroundings quickly and was pleased to find that the shop was still the same as ever. The walls were a dark red, almost the colour of blood, and had various paintings and candles placed on the wall. It certainly had a creepy feeling for the place, but it was a nice creepy if that made sense. It was slightly comforting, they were just trying to set a mood. There were many rows of books all across the bookcases, but there was one section that always caught my eye. It was placed at the back of the room and had net curtains covering it. I never bothered to ask what kind of books they were, but I was sure they wouldn't be the porn section. I made my way to one of the sections furthest away from the door and started browsing the books available. I didn't have any idea what kind of book I wanted, but I definitely needed to buy one to have as a distraction later on. Also, because I'd already read all the books I owned at least two times.

My eyes eventually settled themselves on a strange book located in the middle of the section I was in. It was completely black, but it looked like it would be nice to touch. The words engraved upon it were in gold and a foreign language. Just by seeing this spine of this book, I could tell I wanted to know what it meant. It looked expensive, but it still sparked my interest. I pulled the book out carefully, trying not to damage it. It was quite heavy, but I could easily hold it in one hand without dropping it. I twisted the book around to glance at the front of it. The gold lettering was here too, but it was larger and more detailed. The writing was most likely from a western country. _How did it end up here?_ I really was curious about what it really said. I flipped the book over to read the blurb, but I found nothing there. It was just black with no writing on it. I huffed slightly once I found that out and then twisted it over to the front again. I was placing the foreign book back where it came from when someone leant over my shoulder, dangerously close to my ear. I tensed when I felt their warmth behind me and turned to look at whoever it was.

Before I had the chance to ever glance at whoever the personal bubble intruder was, he spoke.

"That book is called 'How to Kill Your Other Personalities'," he whispered.

I finally turned around to face the mysterious man and was slightly taken back by his appearance. This male before me was probably around my age of sixteen, but was without a doubt foreign. The first feature that caught my interest on him was his eyes. They were definitely heterochromatic. One of them was a soft shade of blue whilst the other was bright red. It definitely looked unnatural and was probably the result of frantic internet surfing and bidding. I didn't have a clue why someone would want odd coloured eyes, but this male seemed to enjoy the reactions he got from people seeing it—he seemed slightly irked that I merely raised an eyebrow whilst looking at it. _Was I supposed to dramatically gasp and clutch my mouth? _His hair was slightly darker than his blue eye, but was styled in a weird fashion. The first thought that popped into my mind from seeing it was it resembled a pineapple. I couldn't hide the smirk from coming to my lips when I noticed this. _This male is certainly odd._ His bangs framed his face in an odd fashion, almost like curtains. The rest of his hair had a similar length—just below his chin—apart from a section at the top that stuck out like leaves. He was maybe half a head taller than me, but that didn't bother me due to his ridiculous style.

"I don't believe I asked you anything," I said without any emotion.

"Oh, I was just being polite," he replied. His voice was quite deep, but it was laced with amusement.

I narrowed my eyes at him before I said, "It was rather creepy, actually."

He laughed strangely before carrying on to ask, "Really now?"

I was slightly freaked out by his laugh; it wasn't a sound a normal person would make. It had a sinister edge to it that I didn't think I needed to point out to him. His mouth was curled into a large grin whilst he took in my reactions—he definitely knew he was giving off an I'm-a-strange-person vibe. I didn't have any intention to reply to him, so I swiftly placed the book back and headed towards the door whilst nodding at the man behind the counter quickly, acknowledging his presence. I hadn't seen him when I entered but it seemed polite to do so now.

As I was walking through the town again, I could hear footsteps echoing my own. Whoever it was seemed to be matching their timing to mine and it was definitely creeping me out a little. I didn't show it on the outside, of course, because that would give them an advantage. My heartbeat wasn't getting any faster—it was staying at the normal pace. That fact alone was comforting and it was probably just my imagination making things up. After all with Cavallone lately, my imagination seemed to go out of control too. I tried to ignore the cold feeling that was spreading across my back. _It's either a child or my imagination._ I kept repeating that to myself over and over until I felt it finally diminished a considerable amount. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding and stepped into the apartment complex.

Living on the second floor was not a nice experience. It meant I had to climb the stairs for awhile. It wasn't necessarily a hard task to accomplish, but it always took more time than was needed. The steps always creaked at random places too; never in the same place as before. It was almost as if they changed around at night by themselves. That was always an amusing thought. When I'd finally finished climbing up three flights of stairs, I'd counted at least ten creaks. The noises were certainly annoying when they occurred. I approached my black door slowly, hoping not to find Cavallone inside. I fished the keys out of my pocket with ease and opened the door. It didn't creak or make any other type of noise, but I still felt the need to stay still for a minute. I didn't hear any noises inside—maybe Cavallone did go out. That would mean his injury this morning wasn't severe. When I thought about him again the weird feeling in my chest came back. I frowned whilst glancing down at my chest; it was absolutely fine earlier, but now the feeling was back with a vengeance. I could feel my heartbeats getting heavier with each passing second and I still had no clue why. It wasn't fear, I knew that for sure, but I couldn't connect the increase of my heartbeat with anything else.

I mentally shrugged inside my head and continued inside the apartment. As I was taking my shoes off, I saw his in the corner. That meant he really was still in here. _Maybe he was sleeping?_ I couldn't hear any noise being made, so I hoped it was true.

My stomach growled quietly once I'd taken my shoes off, so I headed in the direction of the kitchen. I glanced to the window I opened for Hibird earlier and let a little smile frame my lips when I saw he was eating the seeds I'd left. I opened the fridge and groaned a little when I remembered I needed to go shopping. All I had was butter, milk and a few mushrooms.

When I entered my room, I immediately started to look for the money that I had saved. I hadn't withdrew anything in at least a year so I thought there would be quite a bit of money left now. I stalked towards my bookcase, scanning the different levels for the book I wanted. I found it on the second shelf in the left corner. I smirked a little when I thought about how ridiculous my mother had been when she gave me this book—she was going all out to try and attempting to fool burglars. As if we'd ever get any. I opened the front cover and widened my eyes at how much money I had. I really didn't think had this much. I grabbed only a little bit of the money and slammed the book shut. I wouldn't need to go in there again for awhile if Cavallone paid the rent. I placed it back on the bookshelf and watched it blend in with the rest of the books. I slipped on my shoes again and locked the door on my way out. I doubted Cavallone would be up soon—I hadn't heard any noise from his room for the whole time I was there. I only needed a few supplies so I decided to shop at the nearest convenience store. I could go on a proper shopping trip another day, today I just needed bread and rice and a few other things.

As soon as I had stepped inside the store, my senses were overwhelmed by the smell of faux lemon. I scrunched my nose up slightly at the smell, it really wasn't nice at all. Trying to ignore the smell, I made my way to get a loaf of bread. There was a whole row of different brands and I really didn't know what I usually had. I blinked whilst trying to remember, but seemed to do no good. I gave up trying to remember and grabbed a loaf of brown bread. It was the seedy kind, that meant I could give some to Hibird to eat. I was sure he'd like that.

I was making my way to pick up a bag of rice when the cold feeling spread across my skin again. I shivered a little bit at the feeling, it wasn't pleasurable whatsoever. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck start to stand up and it made my eyes widen a little. The last time I felt this obviously wasn't my imagination, but I still couldn't think what it really was. _Maybe I've caught a cold._ That could've been one answer, but why would the cold only flare up in random situations? I tried to shrug it off my shoulders, I didn't want to work out whatever the answer was now. I just wanted to get home and make some food; my stomach was starting to get uncomfortable. I clenched my stomach muscles together trying to lessen the sound. I really didn't want to embarrass myself and tarnish my ego even more.

Wanting to get out of the store, I paid for my rice and bread as quick as possible. The whole cold feeling and faux lemon scent wasn't good for my head. If anything, it was making me slightly dizzy. Once I was outside the store, I gripped onto my hair whilst closing my eyes. The dizzy feeling was increasing rapidly and it was making me irritated. I wanted it to die down quickly so I could make my way home, but as soon as I opened my eyes, the sidewalk seemed to be twirling ever so slightly. I shook my head quickly and was relieved to find out that my dizziness had disappeared.

Whilst making my way home, I swear I could see a few shadows moving down an alleyway. Normally, I would've gone to bite whoever was lurking there to death, but the dizziness was kicking in again. If I tried to fight someone right now; I'd probably end up with a few cuts on my body. I didn't want to deal with bandaging myself up, so I chose to ignore it.

I practically power walked to my apartment door and flung it open. I pulled my shoes off in seconds and shut the door behind me. The dizziness was definitely back—but it had intensified from before. I could feel every throb clearly inside my head. It was similar to the heavy heartbeat I was experiencing at random intervals, but this time in my head. I put the plastic bag on the kitchen side and sat down on the floor. I had my back leaning against the cabinet and my knees touching my chest. I was clutching my forehead with my hands, trying to the throbbing go away. It wasn't anything like a normal headache—it was much worse. With each throb that it created, I felt as if I was going to throw up. I hissed when a particularly bad throb came along, if I had anything in my stomach at that moment, I would've spat it out all over the kitchen floor. It was good I didn't have anything; I didn't want to have to clean it up afterwards.

After a few minutes of clutching my head, the throbbing seemed to die down. I risked open my eyes to see if everything was spinning and released the breath I didn't know I was holding. My vision was back to normal and the headache seemed to have died down. The only evidence that it was ever there was the gentle throbbing left in my forehead. I didn't worry that it was still there—it was clear that it was slowly dying down.

After I picked myself off the floor, I checked to see if Cavallone had seen any of that. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw he wasn't in the room, if he had seen any of that, I probably wouldn't be able to live it down. I didn't even want anyone to see me in that pathetic state, it would make them think they could take advantage of me. I wouldn't let anyone do that, not in any type of situation. Just as I was about to look inside the plastic bag, the doorbell went off. I scowled a little at their timing—they really chose the worst time to come. I was still slightly flushed from the headache a few minutes ago and was internally cursing at letting anyone see me like this. _I can pass it off as being hot if anybody asks._

I placed my shoes together whilst I was making my way to the door—I had left them messed up earlier in my rush. I made sure I wasn't showing any emotions when I opened the door; I didn't want to create an even worse image of myself with a lively and flushed face. That would be the end of my reputation. I opened the door and internally blanched at what I saw.

The guy from the bookstore with the heterochromatic eyes was standing at my door. He had a cheerful smile splashed across his face and his irides were twinkling in amusement. I raised an eyebrow at the sight of him. _How the hell did he know where I lived?_

His smile decreased by a fraction when he saw my eyebrow, but he shrugged it off and said, "You dropped your loaf of bread."

It was then that I noticed he was holding a loaf of bread in his right hand. I didn't realize I'd dropped it, but it was definitely the seedy brand I'd brought. I wasn't going to thank the stranger; it was just too weird seeing him again within less than two hours.

I simply placed my hand out, waiting for him to put the bread in it. "Hn."

He smirked at my hand before putting the bread it in, I saw the twinkle in his irides had increased. It seemed to be enjoying this. I hoped that my face was back to normal now—I really didn't want him to get any ideas about my flush.

We were staring at each other for a few minutes. I couldn't help but feel completely out of place next to him—he was a complete weirdo compared to me. I glanced at his outfit and was slightly relieved to see that it was normal. It was just a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and a black jacket. I had expected something outrageous, since he seemed to be a kind of person that liked being dramatic. I inwardly smirked at the image of him with a cape—it was easy to imagine him in one of them.

He was the first one to break the awkward staring contest and I was slightly surprised at how he did it. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a ripped book cover. I recognized it instantly—it was the one I was looking at in the bookshop. He took advantage of my surprise and started strolling into my apartment. I scowled when he did this—I didn't see how he had the right to do such a thing. I'd been in his presence for at least ten minutes altogether and he was already walking around my home like he owned the place. I wasn't even comfortable around him in the lightest and he was now sitting down on my sofa. I slammed the front door shut and walked up towards the stranger. I threw the bread on the coffee table before questioning him.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I spat.

"Just making myself at home." He chuckled.

I glared at him whilst the only look I got in return was a smile. I didn't know how he could stay calm in this type of situation, he was obviously being extremely rude and didn't care at all. The glint of amusement in his heterochromatic irides was somehow even bigger than before. He was enjoying making me angry. I wanted to strike at him with my tonfa and cause him to spit out blood—but more than that, I wanted him out of my apartment. It was awkward having him here, heck it was even awkward looking at him.

"Leave before I bite you to death," I warned whilst fingering with my hidden tonfa.

"Oh?" He smirked at my threat.

My left eye started twitching at the sight of his smirk. He obviously didn't see me as a threat, which meant that he wasn't from Namimori. Everyone that lived here knew me or had heard of me; they knew not to annoy me and to flee at the sight of my glare. But this male seemed to find amusement at seeing me narrow my eyes at him. He enjoyed the death threats directed at him. _He's insane. _

"Seriously, get out before I hurt you." I got the tonfa out of my jacket and held it in front of me. I really couldn't be bothered to put up with him anymore—I wanted him out of my sight.

My imaginary wall mentally bet my face again as I heard someone stumbling into the room. I'd forgotten that Cavallone was in the apartment and he was obviously just waking up. I turned around slightly and saw that he still had his blonde hair messed up. Apart from that, he was fully dressed this time without any blood on him. He'd dressed in a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt—the outfit complimented his skin tone well. His hands were rubbing his eyes, probably trying to get the sleepy dust out of them. I tried to his presence, but he was obviously too curious to stay in his room.

"Kyouya, who's the pineapple?"

I glared at him using my first name again. I still hadn't hit with enough force to knock it out of his memory, but I definitely needed to. It seemed too intimate the way he was saying it, as if he was caressing it. I made me shudder slightly, but I didn't know why. It didn't creep me out, it just made me uncomfortable.

"Someone who's going to be in a ditch later on," I replied.

At my reply, Cavallone opened his eyes properly and looked at me. At first his gaze was on my face—his eyes widened slightly at this—and then travelled down to the tonfa in my hand. He probably hadn't expected me to have a weapon out with a random guy in the living room after he'd just woken up. I couldn't blame him; if I'd woken up and saw this, I'd probably be absolutely confused at the situation.

"You're an unfriendly host," Pineapple smirked.

"I never invited you inside," I countered.

"Did you have company already?" He raised an eyebrow whilst saying this and cast a stray glance towards Cavallone.

I didn't know what the reaction on my face from that question was, but inside, I was certainly surprised. _Is he implying something? _I felt my heartbeat increase slightly at the comment too; but that was probably due to the fact he'd caught me off guard. I could feel Cavallone's curious gaze on my face, but I chose to ignore it.

"Get out," I growled.

He laughed again before smirking. "Fine. I bid you farewell, then." He got up off the sofa and started strutting towards the front door. Before he opened it, he did an odd sort of wave behind his back—it was almost like the one royalty did for their followers. I felt my eye twitching again at the sight of him—he was definitely an annoying person. I hoped I'd never have to put up with him again. If I did see him, I'd make sure he bled a considerable amount.

I picked up the bread from the coffee table and put it away in the cupboard. I put the rice away, too. I could still feel Cavallone's curious gaze on my back and I was having a hard time trying to ignore it. It was just like before when I could feel his stare. The hairs on the back of my neck starting to stand up at the sensation, I really wanted it to stop. Somewhere between the intense headache and the mysterious person inviting himself inside the apartment, I'd lost my appetite. I settled for a drink of water instead; my throat did feel slightly raw from the threats earlier. I normally didn't speak that often. I felt replenished after I'd finished the cold water—it did wonders for my throat too.

As I washed the glass, I was still ignoring Cavallone. I didn't want to start a conversation with him. I couldn't understand why he might have been expecting one—I wasn't exactly the sociable roommate type. After I settled the glass on the side to dry, I heard a sigh from behind me. I turned to see Cavallone running a hand through his hair whilst his eyes were closed. His mouth was downturned into a frown.

It took him a few seconds to finally come out with, "I'm going to see Tsuna." He didn't even glance at me when he turned around and headed towards the door.

I didn't understand my reaction to his statement, but something inside my chest hurt. I looked down at it questionably, but I wasn't stupid enough to actually expect an answer. I merely stared at my chest for a few minutes whilst thinking what the hell that was. It felt similar to someone who punched me in the stomach and knocked all the air out of my lungs, except intensified. It was almost a burning feeling and it annoyed the hell out of me.

The next moment, I had to ask myself why my reactions were starting to get out of control around Cavallone.


	5. Control

**Jusrecht:** Phew, I'm glad you liked it. I was worried that it was too slow. **I Like To Stalk You:** I can't tell you how much I laughed when I saw the email saying you put me on story alert. Your username + the alert put me into a fit of giggles. **alguien22792:** No masturbation yet! Instead you get a detailed... uh erotic nightmare? **fuwacchi:** I'm planning to put another DPOV in soon when there's a misunderstanding so you guys can understand why Hibari thinks he's a prick.

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter five—Control

**HPOV**

As I made my way to the bathroom, I grumbled to myself. I still didn't have an appetite and was worn out from my headache earlier. I rubbed my eyes with my palms quickly, attempting to make myself stay awake for a few more moments. I opened the door and took in the state of my room again. It still didn't feel welcoming and I really needed to fix that fact. Even after a few years, I shivered slightly when viewing it. It still didn't look like I actually lived in it. I wasn't the type of person to throw my clothes messily all over the floor nor was I someone to splash posters across my walls. I liked it clear and simple. The walls were a plain white, just the same as my duvet cover. The only splashes of colour were either my jacket that was sometimes placed over a chair or the various books I owned. I shook my head quickly, willing myself to forget about the appearance of my room for awhile.

After I'd stripped myself of my clothes and placed them on top of my chair, I practically dived into bed. It felt great to nuzzle into my pillow and curl up in the duvet. It was always comforting no matter what the situation was before, I didn't need qualifications to have comfort. I sighed internally before curling up with the duvet wrapped around me. It didn't take long for my consciousness to fade and I couldn't be more grateful that it went so quickly.

I soon became aware that my body was moving. It was the weirdest thing to wake up with your eyes open and already moving, I could swear that they were still closed a few moments ago. I tried to move my limbs to see what was happening, but they wouldn't respond. My body simply carried on getting up out of the bed without listening to any of the signals my brain was sending. I felt a wave of panic splash over me—it wasn't everyday that your own body practically had a mind of its own. None of my body parts seemed to respond to me. I concluded quickly that the only segment that I had control over was my thoughts. I couldn't control where my eyes were going, I was stuck looking at whatever my body wanted to.

It was a weird thing to experience. Waves of panic were still being produced and I could feel my stomach becoming heavy. I felt like I could vomit everywhere in less than a second if I did have control. I noticed a beat of sweat travel down from my eyebrow to my chin and internally shuddered. My body was overheating and I couldn't do a thing about it. I couldn't even lift a damn finger to wipe off that drop of sweat. I had to put up with the feeling of perspiration all over my body.

Ignoring the disgusting feeling of my skin, I focused on where my body was moving to. I'd left my room by now—not even bothering to get dressed or close the door—and was travelling down the hallway. From what I could see, it certainly was my apartment. It had all the right pieces of furniture where they should be. I couldn't get used to the feeling of having no control. I always had control in situations that occurred. I didn't like being powerless one bit and all I could do was protest in my mind. I mentally groaned.

When I saw what door my body was moving towards, the alarm bells in my head were going off. I'd left my room scantily dressed and had walked down the hallway towards Cavallone's room. I didn't have any idea why I was doing this and all I could for hope was that I'd bite that life out of him in his sleep. If I had control, my face would have probably been scrunched up with how much effort I was putting in trying to move my limbs. I wanted to get out of there and go back to my room, but of course; my body did the exact opposite. I grasped the door handle and didn't hesitate to turn it and swing the door open. My eyes immediately went to the bed where Cavallone was sleeping. It was definitely a weird position to sleep in. He was on his back with the duvet slightly over him, except that he had one leg and arm sticking out. The arm was limp and hung over the end of the bed. The leg was simply placed on top of the duvet. He was either knocked out or a heavy sleeper. The door opening didn't even make him stir.

My body kept its eyes on Cavallone for a few minutes, before finally starting to move again. The alarm bells were still going off in my head, but they got even louder as I took a few more steps towards Cavallone. My body was actually going towards him without any weapons on hand. I doubted I could make a tonfa magically appear from my underwear and I was simply curious about what the hell I was doing. After a couple of minutes that were filled with my heavy footsteps, I was practically on top of him. My knees were resting on the mattress whilst my hands were placed on either side of my body. I seemed to be gently leaning over, but I couldn't exactly see the position I was changing to. All I could see was what my body wanted to—Cavallone's face, apparently.

A hiss made its way out of my throat when my body started to close its eyes. I couldn't see what the hell I was doing now, I had to guess by touch and trying to understand movements. I could feel my right hand starting to move, but I couldn't tell where it was going. It seemed to hang in midair for a few seconds, it was like my body was thinking of what to do. _What to do is get the hell out of here! _I felt my hand come into contact with something warm and my curiosity increased a considerable amount. Whatever it was smooth and was a slightly higher temperature than my own. It was only a subtle difference but was noticeable when my hand started moving around again.

My body seemed to be tracing something ever so gently whilst my eyes were still closed. I really wanted to yank them open to see what the hell I was touching. It felt too nice to touch and I didn't remember owning anything that felt like this. I felt my body move into a different position again, but I still couldn't think of what position it was in. All I knew was there was something touching my stomach and chest. It certainly didn't feel like the mattress or duvet—but what else was there?

_Cavallone. _I internally choked when I remembered where my body was. I was in Cavallone's room and on his bed. Was the warm thing I was touching him? I certainly hoped it was just to distract him before I attacked, but due to the lack of weapons and my closed eyes, I doubted that. I wanted to scream at myself without appearing crazy. I felt the thing I was laying on stir below me, but my body carried on tracing whatever it was by my hand. I panicked inside my mind when I did in fact figure out what was below me. It really was Cavallone—now that he was moving, I could feel his heartbeat against my chest. It was becoming rapidly faster and was making me get more and more angry at myself. _What the fuck am I doing? _I tried to open my eyes again, but immediately failed. I couldn't even make them twitch and I was dying to know why I was on top of Cavallone.

Below me, Cavallone moved backwards slightly and I guessed he was making himself sit up. I felt my body move slightly too and assumed he'd brought mine up with him. My right hand stop tracing and moved to wrap itself around something. My left joined it and I felt something touching the inside of my forearms. My body scooted forward slightly and I felt the distinct lack of distance between Cavallone and myself. I felt internally disgusted when I felt the curves of his chest press against mine. I could faintly tell which parts were which just from him pressing against me.

I felt him move again and was shocked when he wrapped his arms around my waist. My body didn't seem surprised by his actions—it was like I expecting it to happen. I didn't open my mouth to question him or anything remotely similar. My body simply hunched down slightly and then let my head rest on something. I assumed from what I thought our positions were that I'd rested my head just above his collarbone. I felt my thoughts leave me when my head nuzzled slightly into his flesh.

The shock eventually faded and my thoughts became coherent after a few minutes. I was still in the same position as before, but now Cavallone had his chin resting on top of my head. I felt it was a particularly awkward way to sit, but my body didn't seem to mind. My eyes were still closed and I didn't want anything more than to open them and then beat the life out of him. I felt my body eventually move back and my eyes fluttered open. I was hoping it was a sign that my control was coming back, but I was disappointed. Still, I could only look at what my body wanted and that was still Cavallone's face. I definitely didn't like what I saw after all those minutes of darkness. His eyes were staring into mine, but his were twinkling with an emotion I couldn't grasp. A huge grin was plastered on his face and it almost seemed cocky. His cheeks were slightly flushed, but that was most likely because of surprise. At least, that's what I hoped.

After a few minutes of staring at each other, Cavallone made the first move. Before I could even grasp what was going on, his lips crashed against mine. Since I didn't have any control, I just had to gape inside my mind at what was happening. Cavallone was gently pressing his lips against mine and my body wasn't doing anything about it. I wasn't even moving, but there were no signs of protest at all.

After a few seconds, this seemed more like minutes, my body started to respond. I gingerly started kissing him back, but it seemed like a child's kiss more than anything. I hadn't really kissed anyone before, but I knew the mechanics. I felt Cavallone smirk against my lips as he removed one of his arms from my waist. I felt his hand come into contact with my hair and I started to panic inside my mind when he pulled my face closer to his. My body was surprised too, since it let out a gasp. He took advantage of my gasp and roughly slipped his tongue inside my mouth.

When he pressed his appendage against mine, I internally choked inside. I remembered the kiss Cavallone forced on me when we first met, but this was completely different. This kiss so far had lasted at least three times longer and seemed to have feelings piled into it. My body moaned slightly when his tongue roughly pressed against my own. If I could've, I probably would have blanched at the sensation. I definitely wasn't used to the feeling of pleasure and I couldn't do anything but watch as things were being done to me.

_I wish I could bite down on his tongue and draw blood. _I felt the anger inside my mind boiling up. I still didn't like this one bit and was feeling more powerless by the second. My body was still kissing Cavallone deeply, without a care in the world. It was obvious I didn't know what I was doing—Cavallone was completely dominating me. I felt a gasp make itself out of my throat when he pressed my mouth closer to his again. He was trying to get deeper inside my mouth and I couldn't feel more disgusted at his actions. My body thought the opposite though. It was moaning and completely forgetting the need for air.

After awhile, Cavallone seemed content with himself and eventually broke the kiss. I was gasping for air after that. I tried to ignore the fact there was a trail of saliva bonding us together, but it didn't go unnoticed by him. I'd only taken at least two breaths before he started kissing me again. This time it wasn't an act of dominance. The kiss wasn't heated or intense—it was soft. The fact that his lips were being so gentle against my own had me freaking out on the inside. I didn't know why he thought I'd break after the first rough kiss, but this one was almost apologetic.

His tongue slowly grazed over my lips whilst I was still freaked out by how intimate we were being. My body quickly complied and opened my mouth to let him gain entrance. Again, his movements were gentle. I felt the friction between our tongues slowly build up until it was almost unbearable. Moans kept making their way out of my throat without any sign of stopping. We eventually pulled away from the kiss, panting like the last one, but a considerable amount less. I could feel that my face was flushed and I hated Cavallone even more than before. I really wanted to rip my own hair out for what was happening, but I knew I wouldn't be able to. I tried with all my might to close my eyes so I couldn't see what would most likely happen next.

I cringed inside my mind when I saw Cavallone push me down onto the bed. My back was on the mattress while my legs were on either side of his body now. I couldn't see how he'd positioned himself—when I changed positions, my left arm had gone over my eyes and restricted my vision. I could only see a few strips around my arm.

When I felt his lips make contact with my throat, I let out a moan. "A-ah."

In my mind I was freaking out at the new sensation. He was gently kissing the sensitive part under my ear and adding in the occasional lick. I felt my breathing hitch when he eventually started sucking the spot—it felt so foreign. Inside I was fuming, it was a complete contradiction to what I probably looked like on the outside. My right arm lifted itself from my side and found its way to Cavallone's neck. I twisted my hand into his hair whilst my mouth was open and panting.

"You moans are amazing, Kyouya," he breathed against my neck. I moaned when his breath splashed against where he was sucking before. The sudden blast of warmth was wonderful.

"I-idiot," I gasped.

I felt like I was slapped in the face after I'd said that out loud. _Is that seriously my voice? _It certainly didn't sound like me at all—the voice was contorted with pleasure and sounded like something out of a porno. I felt my pride shatter into pieces from that. This made me angrier than ever and I tried even harder to regain my limbs.

Cavallone chuckled before moving his face to mine and pulling me in for another kiss. It wasn't gentle this time—it was heated. I could feel his urgency within it and my body complied within seconds. It was even fiercer than before, but now I knew how to kiss properly. I created enough friction to make him moan and occasionally added a suck in. I could feel him growl slightly into my mouth before making his tongue delve even further into my mouth than it had before. I was too preoccupied with trying to move my body that I didn't realize that Cavallone's hand had travelled downwards. I gasped into the kiss and inside my mind when I felt his hand slowly trail over my arousal.

My body whimpered as he pulled his hand away. I was practically craving his touch and I hated every second of it. I felt him smirk against my mouth and my body frowned slightly at that. In my mind, I was screaming. _What the fuck is going on? _

We detached from our kiss panting again. I placed my head on the crook of his neck and nuzzled into it again. I was disgusted by this action again, but it seemed like a second nature to my body. My body stiffened as I felt Cavallone's hand fiddling with the waistband of my boxers. His hand slowly went under it and made its way down without hesitation. I panted and tried to hide my face in his neck when I felt him wrap his hand around my arousal. This I'd definitely never experienced before and it had me writhing in less than a few seconds. As I felt his hand move slightly, I groaned and pushed my face into his neck more. It was an overload of emotions and sensations coming from a subtle action.

I didn't know when it started, but some point between his hand fiddling with my waistband and slipping to brush against my arousal, I had started whimpering.

"Ah—D-Dino!" I panted.

The next thing I knew, I had woken up in my bed with a strangled cry. I sat up quickly, letting my duvet pool into my lap, and tried to regain my breath. I was almost hyperventilating and all I had to blame was that damn nightmare. It couldn't be classed as an erotic dream. I doubted that I would ever had one about Cavallone. I pulled in a shaky breath and moved my hand to wipe the sweat off my face. I took note at how pale I looked after I'd moved my hair. I was pale and shaking. That definitely was a nightmare; I couldn't remember erotic dreams ever getting this kind of reaction before.

I put my hands on my face and tried to calm myself down—my heart was beating incredibly fast and my breaths were still ragged. For minutes on end, I tried to settle it down without any success. I could feel my consciousness attempting to fade again and I willed myself to stay awake with all my strength. I didn't know that nightmare would repeat if I fell asleep now, I certainly didn't want it to repeat again. Ever.

When I got myself out of bed, my legs were shaking. It took me a few minutes to confirm that I could actually balance. When I'd successfully gotten up without falling asleep or collapsing on the floor, I glanced at the time. It was only five o'clock. That meant I'd only slept for at least an hour and a half; that wasn't long enough to get any proper rest. I ran a hand through my hair quickly and tried to think about what I wanted to do. I definitely needed to have a shower and get some fresh air, I was still sweaty from waking up hyperventilating.

Before I made my way to the bathroom, I made sure I had my uniform and a change of boxers to put on afterwards. I didn't want to come outside in only a towel, I was feeling extremely cautious due to that nightmare. Once I was satisfied I had all the needed clothing in my hands, I slowly walked down the hallway. I didn't see Cavallone's shoes by the door so I assumed he was still round Sawada's house. If I was lucky, he'd stay over there for a few days. I went inside the bathroom and closed the door behind me quickly. My breathing still hadn't gone back to normal and I was trying to ignore the sharp breaths I was producing. I took my boxers off quickly and frowned when I saw they were slightly white on the inside. They definitely needed to go in the wash soon. I shook my head quickly and placed them on the floor. I stepped into the shower, closed the curtain and turned the water on. I immediately regretted doing it in this order today.

As soon as the water came out, I let out a loud hiss. The cold water splashed across my body and instantly made me shudder. I should've waited a while for the water to warm up, but I was too preoccupied with my thinking. I started shuddering violently from the cold water. The hot water didn't help; it remained the same. I didn't care that I normally found the water comforting. At that moment, I wanted to wash myself quickly and then get the hell out of there. I lathed and rinsed in record time and then carefully applied shampoo into my hair. I didn't want a repeat of yesterday where I got it in my eye, that had stung like hell. Once I was satisfied that my hair was clean enough, I turned the water off.

After I'd quickly towel dried my hair, I got dressed. After I successfully dressed myself and was half awake, I looked in the mirror. I was still as white as a sheet, but at least I'd stop shuddering and shaking. I could stand on my feet without wobbling now and my breathing had finally stabilized itself. I quickly shook my head before brushing my teeth. I always hated the taste of toothpaste. It wasn't a pleasant feeling as I had it foaming in your mouth, it practically burnt when it made contact with the raw parts of my gums and tongue. I coughed from swallowing a bit and winced a little at the sensation. I placed the toothbrush pack in its pot and swiftly left the room. I placed my dirty pair of boxers by the washing machine and walked up to a nearby cupboard to look for coffee granules. I definitely needed a cup or two to fully wake me up; I still had half-lidded eyes that were fighting to stay open. I turned the kettle on and chewed on my lip while I waited for the water to boil. It always took longer when I was waiting on it. If I had something else to do like preparing food maybe, it would have been boiled in a blink of an eye. That's what it usually did and I cursed under my breath that it was taking so long at that moment. I got a mug ready and spooned some of the granules inside it. I made sure to make it strong—I added two and a half teaspoons. I knew it wouldn't taste particularly nice, but I wasn't seeking comfort in the flavour. I just needed the caffeine. After what seemed like forever, the water had finally boiled. I added the water into the mug and winced slightly at the some aroma of coffee that was being produced. I didn't bother to add milk; I just waited a few minutes for it to cool down enough that it wouldn't burn my throat.

I took a hesitant sip, hoping that it would be lukewarm after a few minutes. Once I was satisfied, I gulped the liquid in less than ten seconds. It felt weird at first, but soon the caffeine kicked in. My eyes were finally open and my mind was alert. I knew that my caffeine high wouldn't last long, so I placed the mug in the sink and started to make my way towards the door. I made sure to check that my keys were in my pocket and was relieved that they really were there. I didn't want to make a trip back to my room just to search for them. They'd probably be in the weirdest place if I did leave them there. I slipped my shoes on quickly and walked out the door. I made sure to lock it; I didn't want burglars, even if it was an apartment people still targeted them. I nodded slightly after I'd completed securing my home and then walked down the stairs. I tried to ignore the ever growing amount of creaks that they produced, I could worry about that later. I knew they wouldn't break on me. They'd probably just break if an overweight person applied pressure onto them. I smirked a little at the image—I knew it was harsh, but it was still quite funny to imagine their faces contorted with confusion and shock.

After at least ten minutes of walking, I felt my eyes starting to droop again. I mentally cursed at the feeling—I had hoped that my caffeine high would have lasted longer. I hadn't been paying attention to where I was walking at all, but I soon realized I was by a park. The time of night meant that no one was here. Normally there were children littering all over the place, but now it seemed peaceful without the sight of a single person. I wasn't interested in sitting on a swing or on a bench, I wanted to find a tree to relax beside. It was always a nice feeling to lean back against a tree whilst looking up at the stars. I looked up at the sky and huffed slightly. It wasn't late enough for the stars to be visible yet; I became determined to wait until they did come out. I definitely wanted to see it. I didn't normally stargaze, but it was a nice change every now and then.

I walked past the swing sets without sparing them a single glance. The same with the benches and other attractions too—my mind was on one thing. I'd spied a high tree in the corner of the park a few seconds ago. It was quite tall, but what attracted me to it was the positioning of the roots. There was a separation by the base that was practically begging for someone to sit in between it. I could probably fit into it—it seemed like any average person could. I growled quietly when I realized I'd insulted myself slightly there. I was saying I was the same as them Herbivores when in reality, I certainly wasn't.

As I made my way to the tree, I noticed the grass was being thicker and thicker. It seemed as though barely anyone came here—their footsteps hadn't damaged the plants here. I settled myself down with my back resting upon the base off the tree and sighed a little. It was definitely peaceful with just the gentle breeze and the growing darkness as comfort. There wasn't any noise around except for the occasional rustle of my clothing. I took a mental note of where this location was—I'd definitely return in the future when it was later. I wanted to close my eyes and relax further, but as soon as the darkness of my eyelids greeted me I had flashbacks about the nightmare. I could feel my body become pale again. I could practically feel the colour draining from me and it certainly wasn't something I wanted to experience again. I took a few seconds for me to notice, but due to the lack of blood in my body I started shivering. I crossed my arms to try and maintain some warmth but it had the opposite effect. As soon as my limbs touched each other, it was as though their temperature combined and made me even colder than I was before.

A hiss made its way out of my throat when I realized I wasn't pleased that action had let the cold air attack the inside of my cheeks. I was getting more annoyed by the moment and nothing was helping. It was nice at first being here, but now it was becoming amazingly annoying. Just the flutter of a few leaves left my eye twitching. I wanted somewhere where it was completely quiet, but I had no idea where that would be at this time. It was bound to be around seven o'clock now. The emptiness in my stomach soon became apparent, it was extremely uncomfortable and I found myself glaring down at it. I hadn't eaten much today, just half a bowl of cereal at the insane hours in the morning. I really did need to eat something; I couldn't fuel myself on caffeine alone. The lack of sleep and food would soon leave me feeling faint and I didn't want to be in that pathetic state. I'd already been embarrassed today with the headache dilemma and then letting that Pineapple bastard see my flushed face. I was sure Cavallone saw it too.

The air in my lungs was practically forced out when I processed that particular thought. It reminded me of the nightmare I'd tried so hard to forget. I didn't enjoy the fact that random things reminded me of it. It was like a constant reminder that kept coming around or that friend I always saw in movies that popped up out of the blue. I shuddered while thinking about where Cavallone would become like that—just popping up everywhere and annoying the hell out of me. I really needed to punch him at least once more. I'd only harmed him twice or at least that's how much I thought. I'd punched him in the stomach and then bit into the cartilage of his ear. That wasn't enough to scar him permanently or scare him enough to stay away from me. I really needed to fix that and soon.

A small smirk settled on my lips whilst I was thinking about what I could do to harm him. I could either scar his skin permanently or shock his mental health enough that he'd leave. It didn't occur to me while I was plotting that if I scared him away, I couldn't get the money for letting him stay in the apartment. I groaned slightly and ran my hand through my hair. I really didn't know how else I could make him stay away from me without appearing like an idiot. I only knew how to use force to get my ways, but now that was out of the question. I also didn't know if I could see his face without it triggering negative reactions from remembering the nightmare. I definitely didn't know if it would repeat itself when I went to sleep again and I didn't want to try it. I was prepared to stay away on caffeine until it was absolutely necessary to my body to get some sleep. I faintly wondered what it was like to be an insomniac—I quickly threw that thought away when I thought about how weak I'd be when trying to punish people. I'd probably only be able to stand my ground against two people at most and I knew it was highly dangerous. I definitely needed to get some sleep somehow. _Maybe I need to invest in sleeping pills._ It didn't seem like the best option, but definitely the one that seemed about suitable. One of my other ideas was to simply knock my head against the wall until I passed out. That way, I wouldn't panic when I closed my eyes; my consciousness would have already faded.

I nodded to myself slightly when I'd finally decided that I would buy some sleeping pills tomorrow. I didn't need to get a prescription—I could just threaten the chemist. That would be the easy route and would lead to less trouble and time wasted.

When my knees were pulled up to my chest, I finally let my thoughts wander. I really did want to know why the hell I dreamed about Cavallone; especially when it was in such an intimate way. I was prepared for the negative reactions that came around whenever I thought about it this time; I hugged myself to try and keep some warmth. I settled my chin on top of my knees and stared into the sky. It had become a lot darker since I'd settled myself down by the tree trunk and I was grateful for that. I didn't really want to see anything, I could only make out a few vague details of my surroundings from the streetlight that was located at least fifteen metres away.

The vague details of the dream were what I could make sense of straight away; I knew there were even some beliefs that the content of dreams try to warn the dreamer of something. I really couldn't think what the dream with Cavallone was trying to warn me of, so I shrugged that thought off my mind. I thought about what I did know happened instead.

I knew that I didn't have control of my body in that dream, so it was obvious that I was just an observer. It was almost like an out of body experience, except I was trapped inside my mind that was temporarily shut off. The other 'me' had been incredibly intimate with Cavallone and wasn't bothered by his touch at all. It was reacting in positive ways whenever they made contact. Cavallone was delighted at the contact too, that was easy to tell from his actions. 'I' was apparently incredibly close to him too, as I'd called him Dino. I'd only referred to him as Dino once when I heard Sawada say his name, but that was the only detail of him I knew at the time. It was only one time and that wasn't enough for me to have the excuse to say it again. Cavallone had called 'me' by my first name in the same manner he did in real life today, but this one had more feelings put into it. He was complimenting me too, which I didn't understand at all.

The only act of kindness I'd shown towards Cavallone was showing him to Sawada's house—that was just a very rare spur of the moment kind of thing. It had just guard me off guard that he wasn't scared of me. I'd probably bashed my head that morning and that was why I couldn't think straight. That had to be it. I could tell that our ages were roughly the same in the dream—I was still the same height. Just above average. I wasn't exactly the tallest thing people ever met. Cavallone's face still looked the same, but I couldn't tell about his height. 'I' had only glanced at his face and neck.

'I' had initiated the activity. I guessed that the warm thing that my hand was tracing before had to be Cavallone's face. There was also the kiss to consider; it was clear that 'I' still hadn't kissed anyone before. That was most likely our first one, that was why it was heated and then gentle afterwards.

Before I had woken up, it was clear that Cavallone was going to continue. He definitely wanted to be even more intimate—it was obvious when he first started the kiss and then fingered with the waistband of my boxers. I was suddenly eternally grateful for my consciousness coming back before that moment. I didn't want to be an observer when Cavallone was going to have toy with my body. I didn't want it to ever happen, but if it ever did I wanted full control of my body so I could bite him to death.

I growled slightly before I detached my arms from my legs. I slowly got up and felt the subtle ache in my limbs. I'd definitely been here for a long time in the same position—it had made my arms practically fall asleep. I stretched them over my head and heard the subtle click as my bones moved. It felt good to move around after staying still for so long. I had really had lost track of time, I could tell as I gazed up at the sky. The stars were finally out and they were shining brilliantly. If I was still in my previous mood, I would have looked at them for awhile longer. I was too annoyed to appreciate them at the moment so I merely huffed before making my way back to the apartment. I didn't have my phone with me to check the time, I'd probably left it in my room or it had fallen on the floor somewhere in the apartment. It was highly likely that it was the latter. I took note of the lack of people on the street, it definitely was too late to walk around casually.

Within the time span of a few minutes, I had made it back to my apartment. I didn't waste any time admiring my surroundings or glaring at the minor things. I simply looked forward at where I was walking and walked as if my life depended on it. I really needed to get another hit of caffeine, it was wearing off fast and I could feel my eyes beginning to droop again. I didn't want to dream again for at least a day after I'd thought about what it meant. I just didn't want to think about the details of it or wake up panting again—it was an awful experience to have that happen. I barely had it happen as a kid; maybe one or two times at the maximum. Now I was a healthy teenager and experienced a nightmare when I hadn't suffered any type of trauma. It was definitely a bad sign.

I walked up the stairs without bothering to pay attention to the creaks of the flooring, I still couldn't be bothered to care about it. I unlocked my apartment door and promptly walked inside while the door gently closed itself behind me. I kicked my shoes off quickly and practically power walked for the kitchen. I really did need some caffeine. I think I had a sleeping addiction—when I had nothing else to do, I always slept. It seemed that I had a limit of how many hours without sleep I could take fully and I was now properly reaching my limit. I knew it was ridiculous, but I did like my naps. I made a black coffee again, but with one more spoonful of coffee granules in it this time. It still smelt and tasted revolting due to the overdose of beans, but I gulped it down quickly. I didn't care about the taste; I just wanted the caffeine to keep myself alert.

Once I'd finished washing up the mug from earlier and just a few minutes ago, I made my way to my bedroom. I needed something to distract myself with until the morning came. I started scouting my room for anything to occupy my mind and soon I found my eyes being drawn to the bookcase. I'd already finished reading all the books I owned, but I guessed it couldn't hurt to reread one of them. If I chose a good horror book full of gore and action, I was sure to keep my attention on it. I was a sucker for action—it was always interesting to see how authors viewed fights. They always made them out to be extravagant and full of flamboyant movements, but they were completely wrong. Fights were about quick thinking and how well my basic instinct guided me. If I didn't have enough sense to block a few blows, I knew that I was screwed. It took a few years for me to fully train all of my instincts to the level that they were now. It took a few injuries and many delinquents as victims, but it was definitely worth it.

I chose one of the goriest books I owned and settled myself down onto my bed and started to read.

Before I knew it, I heard birds chirping outside. I whipped my head to the side—away from the book—and glanced out the window. The sun was in the sky now, so light was spraying into my room and lighting the whole place up. I glanced at my clock and I felt my eyes widen. It was seven o'clock in the morning. I'd definitely got carried away reading the book, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the pages. I looked down and noticed I was still in my uniform. I just needed to brush my teeth then I'd be ready to school. I quickly turned the corner of the page I was on over, gently marking it before placing it on my bedside. I felt alert for some reason, I hadn't had any caffeine for at least five hours but I felt like I had consumed at least ten cups. I walked to the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth, trying to miss the tender bits of my gums. After I put my toothbrush back into its pot, I looked into the mirror. I definitely looked a mess—there were purple bags under my eyes and they stood out a considerable amount against my pale skin. My skin was at least two shades paler than it normally was, but that was probably due to the lack of food I consumed. I needed to fix that; maybe I would pick something up before I went to school. Once I was satisfied with my appearance and my hygiene, I opened the bathroom door.

What I saw before me was something I didn't want to see for a few days. Just seeing Cavallone's face triggered the memories of the nightmare I had and I felt myself getting impossibly paler in less than a second. I saw his eyes widen as he watched the colour drain from me. He had opened his mouth and was just about to say something when my movement caught him of caught. I did something I hadn't done for years; something that was for weak herbivores who didn't tend to their bodies needs.

My body slumped forward.


	6. Consumption

**I Like To Stalk You:** You made me smile again! I wouldn't mind Dino molesting me while I was unconscious... Mmm. **fuwacchi:** Mukuro will play his role well soon, just you wait ;) I couldn't resist making him faint it was too tempting! **alguien22792:** It's in character? I was worried it wasn't at all. **Veldargone:** I'm glad you like it! **Leo's Katanas:** Aww, I'm happy you like it.

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter six—Consumption

**HPOV**

When I woke up, I immediately realized I was somewhere I didn't want to see for at least a good day or two. I was placed in Cavallone's bed and I was unintentionally curled up in his duvet. I hated the fact that it smelt like him, but it was felt so soft. I could feel my consciousness starting to slip even though I'd just woken up—I didn't want to go back asleep. I quickly got up and harshly rubbed my eyes. I was lucky enough that I didn't have a repeat of that dream this one time and I couldn't be more grateful. I didn't want to risk it and go to sleep again. I'd probably tear out part of my hair if that happened. I slipped slightly when rubbing my eyes, so my right palm crushed into my eye more than I intended. A low hiss made its way out of my throat at the pain. I really hadn't expected that, the minor error and the fact I was still in Cavallone's room had me fuming. I quickly removed my hands from my face and took in my surroundings. I didn't see Cavallone anywhere in the room and I didn't have a clue what the time was. I quickly glanced on the desk and internally groaned that there wasn't an alarm clock. There wasn't any type of clock in the room; that slightly explained why he got up at such an odd time yesterday. I mentally scolded myself when I remembered what time he woke up. I really shouldn't have been paying attention to him at that time. I didn't even realize I was paying attention, it just happened.

I shook my head quickly before I removed his duvet from me. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding when I noticed I was still in my uniform; Cavallone obviously hadn't manhandled me too much. I hoped that I somehow staggered in here, almost like sleepwalking instead of having him carry me. I shuddered a little at the thought of him in my personal bubble. I didn't know where he was, but there wasn't any sign of him in the room. I got up from the bed and smoothed out the wrinkles form my uniform. When I looked out the window, I still couldn't tell the time. I didn't know how long I'd been out, but the sun was still shining. That meant it wasn't more than a few hours. After all, it was morning when I embarrassed myself and shattered my pride. I left his bed messed up, I wasn't about to go out of my way and make it for him.

My stomach growling reminded me of one of the reasons I fainted. I hadn't eaten much at all, just half a bowl of cereal. I really needed to eat something soon. I remembered I bought some bread and rice yesterday. I could just make do with toast before I go shopping. I definitely needed to get some more ingredients. I made a mental note to go tomorrow, I didn't want to go anywhere today after this morning.

A bright yellow patch located above the door handle on his door caught my eye. I went closer and indentified it as a single post it note. My curiosity piqued, so I walked even closer to it and read what it said.

_I've gone round Tsuna's. You can talk to me if anything is wrong. –Dino. _

Immediately, I looked down at it with an incredulous expression. It was ridiculous that he thought I'd open up to him without a second thought. Just because I had fainted that morning didn't mean I was a pathetic herbivore. It was a one time thing. I scrunched it up and threw it on the floor. It wasn't my room, I didn't mind making mess.I made my way to the kitchen whilst mumbling curses under my breath. I was never going to tell Cavallone anything about me if I had a choice. After searching the fridge and cupboard, I really did find that there were no toppings to put on the bread. It would have to be only butter, but I wasn't in the mood for that. I'd finally decided to go to the convenience store to buy some instant ramen when I heard the front door open. I immediately tensed up, I wasn't prepared for him to be back so soon. I made sure he wouldn't be in my eye sight when he finally came into the room. I kept my back to the entrance whilst I got myself a drink. My throat suddenly felt extremely dry and I didn't like the feeling. It almost made me wrinkle my nose in disgust when I had to cough. I coughed as quiet as possible, trying not to let him know I was in here. I greedily gulped down two cups of water until the scratchy feeling had finally gone from my throat.

"Are you okay now, Kyouya?" I heard from behind me.

My eye twitched in shock. I hadn't heard him approach me at all, I thought he'd gone straight to his room or something similar. My guard was probably still down. I definitely needed to fix that after I'd eaten. It was still such a stupid mistake not to eat enough; I was sure I would never live it down.

I didn't make any other move to explain what had happened, apart from a quiet, "Hn."

The footsteps I was hearing, that seemed to be incredibly loud, indicated that he was coming closer. I still didn't want to turn around so I looked for something to distract myself with. I immediately saw the glass I'd just drank from and started to wash it. It was the only thing I could think of, but it was my only reason not to look at him. He didn't say anything whilst I was washing the glass out, but I could hear him breathing. It wasn't a comforting silence; it was one that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. For some reason I was nervous, I was impatiently waiting for him to start mocking me.

It never came after more than five minutes of waiting. I was still washing out the glass, I was sure he'd noticed long ago that I was pointlessly doing it to distract myself. He wasn't making any movements or opening his mouth to speak. I felt my patience finally snap after that. I put the glass down on the side with a small bang. I didn't put enough force into it to make the glass shatter; that would probably damage my hand as well. I needed for hands to be fine for punching herbivores or better yet, Cavallone.

I still had my back to him, but I spat out, "What do you want?"

My eye started twitching whilst I was waiting for his answer. If he said anything remotely similar to that of worrying about my health, I was going to bite him to death at that moment. I didn't want to deal with a pathetic roommate who constantly worried for my health. It wasn't something I desired or needed. My stomach growling cut him off before he ever started speaking. Inside my mind, I was leaking profanities at an amazing rate. I couldn't believe that I'd embarrassed myself again in front of Cavallone; it seemed to be all I did the last few days. He had his clumsy moments in front of me, but my actions were absolutely horrifying lately.

Cavallone chuckled behind me and I wanted nothing more than to open the draw nearest to me and pick a knife out. I wanted to threaten him with it—I wanted him to stay the hell away from me until I had completely calmed down. _Wait. I want him away from me all the time. _I quickly shook my head to rid myself of my thoughts.

"I want to go out for a meal with you."

"What makes you think I want to eat with you?" I probably should've waited awhile before answering, but instead I said that within at least two seconds of Cavallone talking. I mentally slammed my face against my imaginary wall. It seemed like I was trying to start a conversation with him when I certainly didn't.

"I'll pay." I didn't need to turn around to realize that he had a smile on his face. It was obvious; I could tell by his happy tone of voice. I knew I definitely should've refused and stormed off somewhere. Instead, I nodded before heading to the bathroom. I needed to brush my teeth, I hadn't done it since I'd woken up. I was sure my breath smelt awful and I didn't want to damage my pride even more. I brushed my teeth quickly, again trying to ignoring the burning sensation that occurred whenever I trailed the toothbrush over a sensitive part of my gums. I spat and wiped my mouth before making my way back into the living room. I could see Cavallone leaning casually against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. I vowed internally that I wouldn't make a conversation with him today and that I wouldn't look at his face either. I still didn't know what reaction I would have when I saw it. A little part of me didn't want to know—I just wanted to avoid it.

I quickly glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall; I still hadn't looked at the time once today. I knew it wasn't night time yet, but I was still curious to how long I had been unconscious for. I mentally blanched a little when I saw it was five o'clock. I had been unconscious for over eight hours. That also meant I was going to be having dinner with Cavallone. I guessed it was better than going to the shop and then making instant noodles at home. It was also a plus that he was paying; I could eat whatever I wanted with having to pay him anything.

After I'd put my shoes on, I opened the door trying to convey through my thoughts that I wanted to go. I didn't want to say it out loud, that would be acknowledging the fact we were going to dinner. I was trying to not think about it and just accept it. After all, it was free food. I heard rustling behind me and I assumed it was Cavallone moving to the front door. I didn't glance to see if he had his shoes on yet, I just kept staring out of the door. I heard the soft click of the door behind me and took that as my cue to leave. I was walking in front of him but he didn't seem to mind at all. There was no stupid conversation, instead there was silence. I mentally shrugged it off my shoulders and started do descend the stairs. A smile appeared on my face when Cavallone stepped on the stairs behind me, I could hear them creaking extremely loud whenever he put his weight on them. The image of him falling through and then possibly breaking a few limbs was fantastic. I was slightly shocked when Cavallone walked in front of me when we'd reached the bottom of the stairs, he didn't glance back at me.

"I've heard of a good place to go," he said.

My eyebrow raised itself at his comment. From my knowledge, the only person he'd really been in contact with since he had gotten here was Sawada. Inside my mind, I was mentally banging my face against my imaginary wall. I'd discovered another detail that I'd overlooked earlier. I now knew that I'd also kept unconscious tabs on who Cavallone spoke to. I really wanted to threaten myself and maybe inflict a little pain in reality to get me thinking straight. I'd probably eaten something weird; nothing at all.

I didn't make any move to reply and simply walked behind him. I made sure there was enough distance that it could be counted as we were walking in the same direction. I didn't want to be seen in public with him—I didn't want to be seen with anyone. Unconsciously, I shuddered a little at the attention I'd get if I was with someone of the opposite sex instead of Cavallone. I was sure rumours would spark and then I'd receive confessions to see if my interest had finally piqued. I blanched a little inside when I remembered last year's Valentine's; I had to threaten at least seven girls to leave me alone since I didn't respond to their feelings. I also had to put two males in hospital. That was a weird experience, I didn't know why they had thought I was interested in the same sex.

Whilst turning a corner, I rubbed my right palm into my eye. I needed to stay alert and stop distracting myself with strange thoughts.

We walked for at least another ten minutes with him leading the way and me trailing behind at least two meters. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding when he finally stopped in front of a random restaurant. I hadn't been to this part of town properly before, I'd normally only step here to bite some herbivores to death. I glanced around quickly and took in my surroundings. Most of the street was illuminated by a few street lamps, but they weren't having much effect; the sun was still up. Many restaurants were scattered along the street, but in between them were expensive clothing stores. I spotted a café further down the road and recognized it as the one I had coffee in. I hadn't seen it connect to this section before, I probably needed to pay more attention to my surroundings. I was slightly taken aback when Cavallone opened the door for me to go inside. I didn't look at him again, I just walked inside like it was completely natural. Inside my mind, I was still startled by his movements. I still didn't know why he was being nice to me, I definitely needed to punch him one more time. I hadn't hurt him since he came into the apartment as he seemed to be fine hurting himself without me there. I snorted internally when I remembered his clumsy acts. It was certainly amusing to see him hurt himself unintentionally. I doubted anyone would do that just for attention. I waited by the door for Cavallone to come inside and was immediately relieved when he didn't glance at me. He went towards the employee waiting at the entrance behind a small podium.

As we were seated at the back of the room, I was slightly surprised that we were in a booth that had no one surrounding it. Everyone else was still in the front of the restaurant. From what I could see, we were the only ones at the back. I gulped a little when I saw how close we'd be in the booth, but immediately shrugged it off when shoulders when I saw Cavallone turn to look at me.

I ignored him and slid myself into the booth. The chair was squishy, so I sunk into it a bit. I glanced down and frowned when I saw the material was fake leather. I liked real materials, not fake ones that were squishy. I kept moving until I was practically glued to the wall. I thought that this would put more distance between us—but I was wrong. Cavallone mimicked my movements and placed himself right in front of me. We had enough space to fit two more people into the booth; I didn't see why he had to crowd so close to me.

While I was trying to distract myself thinking of random things, I felt something poke my arm. I glanced down and saw Cavallone was trying to get my attention by passing me a menu. I mentally scoffed at his attempt; he couldn't think of anything apart from physical action. I choked a little on the spit inside my mouth when I thought that. It reminded me of my nightmare which I had tried so hard not to think about. I hadn't exactly been thinking about it, but _physical action _let my mind immediately connect it to the dream. I coughed quickly, trying to stop myself from choking. I could feel my face getting hotter but I hoped it would die down soon. I was banging my head against my imaginary wall again. I had the worst luck around Cavallone, it was starting to get me paranoid. I swallowed before opening the menu. I didn't want to choke again so I tried not to think of anything. I could feel my face was still slightly hot so I definitely needed to get a drink soon to try and cool myself down. I was still embarrassed as hell but I didn't want to show it. I mentally screamed inside my head and carried on to look at the menu like nothing at all had happened.

As I was scanning through the different meals I could choose from, I felt Cavallone's gaze on my face. I could feel my heartbeat increase slightly, but that was probably due to the fact I was waiting for him to laugh at me. I didn't mind making a scene in the middle of a restaurant, after all, everyone was located at the front. That meant I could spill Cavallone's blood without anyone worrying. I just had to somehow make him be quiet whilst he suffered. I smirked a little of the thought of shoving napkins into his mouth. I just didn't want the waiters to hassle us.

"What do you want to drink?" I heard him ask.

I definitely needed caffeine in my body—I didn't like the fact it was in the form of a carbonated drink, but I doubted I could get a good coffee here. I would have to put up with the drink assaulting my throat. I shuddered a bit as I remembered the feel. I mentally decided to let it go flat before attempting to drink it. I could hear the shuffling of clothes, but it wasn't in front of me. I whipped my head around quickly to glare at whoever was there. I was slightly amused when I saw it was the waiter, but now he was trembling in fear. He obviously hadn't expected someone to turn around and deliver him a glare. I didn't feel any pity for him, he should have been quieter when he approached.

"What would you like to drink?" he squeaked.

Cavallone beat me to it, ordering our drinks quickly.

I saw the waiter blush lightly before turning around and making his way back to the kitchen. I could feel my eyebrows knit together under my hair; I didn't understand his reaction to Cavallone. I wanted to understand at least a little bit why the waiter had blushed from him. Cavallone had only replied in a bored tone, there wasn't any sign of flirting in his voice. The waiter had reacted as if he'd just been asked to spend the night in his arms. I didn't understand it one bit, but I felt my hands ball into fists under the table. I blanched a little when I saw the fists. I was having a random episode of anger and I had nothing to take it out on. I couldn't harm Cavallone yet—he still had to pay for the meal and the rent. After that, I'd be free to put him in the hospital as many times as I wanted. I smirked a little at the thought.

When the waiter returned, Cavallone and I were still looking in different directions. My gaze travelled to the approaching male and I almost growled out loud when I saw he was looking at Cavallone with dreamy eyes again. There was still a blush on his cheeks and I wanted to smack it off his face. I tried to calm down my murderous aura, I doubted the male would be prepared for me to suddenly make him bleed internally. I settled with just imagining him dying in my mind a few times. That was enough to keep me happy, at least until I saw it happen in real life. I'd never killed anyone before, but I was fully prepared to. I didn't have any fear about it. I've sent a few people on the brink of death in the hospital, but the doctors had always saved them. I wouldn't say I wasn't disappointed when I saw their weak forms hobbling to school a few weeks later.

He placed the drinks down in front of us, but I noticed he took extra care when placing Cavallone's down. When I glanced at my glass, a frown settled on my lips. At least a quarter of the liquid that should've been inside the glass was missing. It seemed to be on the table or slowly trailing down the glass. I directed a quick glare at the waiter before getting a napkin and cleaning it up. I didn't want my glass to be sticky and get the crap all over my hands. It would be horrible to touch things and if I ran my hand through my hand, I was sure a few strands would get stuck to it. I heard a small chuckle from in front of me while I was cleaning up the mess. I didn't have to look up to know it was Cavallone and the noise he was emitting was annoying the hell out of me.

I threw the napkin at his face or at least where I thought his face would be. I just hoped it made contact to tell him the shut up.

"What would you like to eat?" the waiter asked. I noticed that he was still only looking at Cavallone, it seemed like the question was only directed at him too.

When Cavallone answered him, the waiter almost jumped out of his too tight shirt but then continued to write it down on his notepad like nothing happened. He turned around and started to walk away when Cavallone stopped him by asking, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

The waiter turned around with a smile on his face, whilst his cheeks were even more flushed than before. I couldn't help it at that point, I made the fiercest glare I could muster up feature on my face. He'd barely even glanced at me before, but now he was ignoring my presence and only paying attention to Cavallone. A small growl made its way out of my throat and I saw the waiter freeze on the spot. I arched my eyebrow whilst taking in his actions. He slowly turned his head to face me and when he finally did, he paled. It was almost like he was splashed with paint—he'd changed colour in less than a second. I was pleased on the inside that my glares still worked well; it was just Cavallone they didn't affect.

"Wh-what would you like?" He squeaked.

"Hamburger." I averted my gaze from him after that. I suddenly became very interested in ripping a napkin in front of me. It was better than looking at Cavallone or watching the waiter make eyes at him. I still didn't understand my reaction. All I knew was I didn't want him anywhere near Cavallone again. I was comfortable enough with my sexuality to admit Cavallone had the features that could label him as good looking, but that didn't explain the waiters actions when all he did was answer in a bored tone. It was frustrating. Either that waiter was an absolute idiot or Cavallone was flirting without any regard of my presence. If he wanted to do that, he could do it when he was alone.

"Kyouya, are you friends with Tsuna?" Cavallone asked after a few minutes of silence.

I was slightly taken aback from his question. Of course I wasn't friends with Sawada, there would be no way in hell I'd talk to him unless it was necessary. I barely associated myself with anyone, I didn't need weak herbivores to attach themselves to me. I groaned internally when it did seem I had someone attached to me. I was still with Kusakabe since Elementary School. I wouldn't call it friendship; I simply ordered him around. He was a good subordinate. "No."

"No wonder he couldn't tell me much about you," I heard him mumble.

After a few seconds of contemplating, I decided to pass that comment off as my imagination. I didn't want to get any angrier until I was out of the restaurant. After a few minutes of silence, I decided to finally have a sip of my coke. As I felt the carbonated liquid slide down my throat, I grimaced. It was still fizzy and felt disgusting against my throat. I definitely needed to wait a bit longer until I could drink it. I could feel that Cavallone was staring at my face whilst I took a sip, I still tried to ignore him.

"Kyouya?" I ignored him and looked to my left. I could see the restaurant slowly filling up with people. For some reason, they all stuck to the front. We were still the only people placed in the back—I liked that. "Kyouya," I heard him sigh.

Turning my head around to the other side, I took note of my surroundings. Since we were located in a booth, there was only a wall there. On the wall though was a painting—it looked old and expensive—I pretended I was interested in it and stared without any emotions framing my face. I was panicking inside my mind. Cavallone was trying to start a conversation and I didn't know how to dodge whatever it was he wanted to say. I had no clue what he wanted to talk about, but it seemed he liked saying my name.

It didn't take long for the waiter to come back with our food. I could still see him making eyes at Cavallone, but he seemed to be oblivious to it. I could still feel his stare on my face and I was still trying to ignore it. Somehow, so far through the night I'd been able not to glance at his face once. I wanted to keep it that way. I shuddered a little at the fact Cavallone had to carry me into his room. I didn't see why he didn't put me in my own.

The waiter had already put our food down in front of us, but he was still standing there. His eyes were fixated on Cavallone and hadn't glanced at me yet. He seemed to be waiting there for something and I was getting impatient for him to leave. I knew we didn't have to pay yet. _What the hell did he want?_ I felt a growl forming in my throat when the blush reappeared on his cheeks. I felt the urge to punch him in the face, but I kept it in. I wanted to eat and then punish him later.

He jumped a little from hearing my growl; he had clearly forgotten I was even there. He quickly glanced at me and tensed up again. He practically ran away after looking at my face. All I could think of at that moment was he certainly did have some brains. Running away was a good idea. I grudgingly started to eat. The hamburger tasted quite bland, but it was better than instant food any day. I wasn't used to eating in restaurants, so the overload of seasoning was horrible for my taste buds. I was happy that Cavallone didn't try to talk to me while we were eating. I still hadn't glanced at him and I was sure he'd finally understood I didn't want to be here with him.

We ate our meal in silence and I was happy about that. I still hadn't glanced at him once and my stomach was full. I didn't have to pay anything either, it was definitely a good idea to come here. I put my chopsticks on top of my plate and pushed it forward. I proceeded to take a sip of my coke, but it was still fizzy. I grimaced again after I swallowed, it was horrible for my throat. I didn't see how anyone could drink it straight away or even out of the can. I placed the drink down again and then crossed my arms over my chest. I had forgotten to put my jacket on earlier so I was getting a little cold.

"Kyouya?" I heard Cavallone ask.

"What do you want?" I hissed. I made sure I was staring down at my plate as I said that.

"Why did you faint today?" I could hear that there was concern in his voice. That annoyed me, he didn't have any reason to be concerned about me.

"None of your business, Cavallone."

"It is, Kyouya. I live with you." I didn't answer. Instead, I turned my head and started looking at the painting beside me again. I didn't how to answer that. The only reason he was worried was because I lived with him. We'd only been living together for two days, today being the third. That wasn't long enough for him to concern himself with me—Cavallone was just being unnecessary. I could hear him sigh when he realized I wasn't going to answer.

Before he could open his mouth to say something else, the waiter came back. I didn't bother to turn my head away from the painting, I knew already what I would see. The waiter would be flushing whilst looking at Cavallone and Cavallone himself would be flirting. The same as every other time and it still annoyed the heck out of me. The waiter didn't have any respect for customers and he should have been fired if he was like this for every good looking male that came along. If he didn't start talking or walking away I swore I was going to bite him to death.

"Would you like anything else?"

"Two coffees, please." I didn't need to look at him to know he had a smile on his face. I felt more annoyed from noticing I could figure out his expressions without looking at him. I'd only known him three days and I unconsciously stalked him. It had to be my killing instinct going haywire. After a few more minutes, the waiter finally shuffled away.

"I never said I wanted coffee," I said flatly.

"The bags under your eyes say different," he countered.

_Touché. _I grudgingly accepted his comment. I wouldn't have been surprised if the bags under my eyes were still there, they stood out too much from my pale skin. I hated the fact that he had noticed and also the thought that he had looked at my face. I ran a hand through my hair quickly, trying to stop all the thoughts in my head. I didn't like the thought of attention. The only attention I usually got was when people notice me and then run away in fear. The waiter came back again and I turned my head to catch his name. I was fed up of referring to him in my mind as 'him' or 'the waiter'. I felt my eye start twitching when I saw he had no nametag on his chest; just his clothing. That didn't help a damn bit. Another thing that caught my eye was the fact he was only looking at Cavallone again. I could see him spilling my coffee too. He had to be doing it on purpose and it was getting on my nerves. I mentally put him on my hit list, I needed to teach him a lesson later. I simply let my eyes narrow at the sight of him whilst waiting for him to put my coffee down.

Again, he put Cavallone's down with perfect care whilst splashing mine everywhere. I was mentally chanting profanities at the sight of that; it was getting old. I was relieved when the waiter left straight away this time, he wasn't making eyes at Cavallone this time around. I wiped up the coffee with a napkin quickly, before pulling it to my mouth and taking a sip. It felt great to drink something hot—I didn't know how cold I was before I had drunk some. I inwardly smiled at the sensation. I set the mug down quickly and waited for it to cool down a little more.

"Could you flirt somewhere else?" I asked angrily.

I didn't look up to see him answer, but I heard him start choking. I smirked a little at that, he was definitely surprised that I'd started a conversation and had said that of all things. He deserved to choke; it was awkward sitting here while he flirted with the waiter.

"K-Kyouya!" He coughed.

The smirk on my face was wiped off when he said my name. I still hated it with a passion, the way he said it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Don't call me that," I demanded.

"Why can't I call you by your name, Kyouya?"

I didn't have any intention of answering that question. Instead, I opened my mouth to say, "I'll bite you to death."

After that small threat, I brought the mug into my hands, I wanted something to look at and this would occupy my hands too. I heard Cavallone chuckle quietly before saying, "I didn't know you were into that."

"Hn?" I questioned.

"Nothing, nothing," he chuckled again. I frowned at the sound of his laughter. I didn't understand what was humorous about what he was saying earlier.

Before moving onto finish the rest of my coffee, I shook my head lightly. I finally felt alert for once and I almost smiled at the feeling. I didn't like being weak enough to fall asleep at any given moment. I'd finally had enough of being with Cavallone. We'd finished our meal now, so I took that as my cue to leave. I got up and headed towards the door. I didn't even spare Cavallone a glance as I went outside. I could hear footsteps behind me, so I assumed he paid and then caught up with me. I was slightly irked at the fact he wanted to walk with me.

"Kyouya, wait!" he called after me.

I ignored him again and mentally started humming. I stuck my hands in my pockets and carried on walking back to the apartment. I wanted to finish the book I started last night, I'd just gotten to the good bit this morning when I realized the time. It didn't matter that I didn't have school; I was still going to go in and patrol. I growled a little when I realized I had completely wasted today. Not only that, I spent most of the time I was awake with Cavallone. I'd definitely go in tomorrow.

The only reason I stopped at that moment was because Cavallone had put his hands on my shoulders. He was practically dragging me backwards and I hissed lowly from feeling the warmth of his hands through my shirt. I didn't like the fact he was in my personal bubble again. I didn't turn around to face him, but I wasn't making any movements.

"Why won't you look at me?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I jerked my shoulders out of his grip and carried on walking home. I heard Cavallone sigh behind me before I heard him start walking. It was nice that he finally understood that I didn't want to look at him.

We walked in silence, I was increasing my pace to try and get away from him though. I could still his footsteps behind me and it was annoying me even more. Every time I walked faster, he copied my movements. It was getting to the point I wanted to run away. It felt like he was almost stalking me. The fact I could only hear his footsteps made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. When we'd finally entered the apartment building, I went straight towards the stairs without leaving the door open for Cavallone. As I had climbed at least five steps, I felt a tug on my arm. I looked down and saw that Cavallone had grasped my wrist and was trying to slow me down. I hissed a little at the invasion of my personal space.

I was about to threaten him, but Cavallone opened his mouth first to say, "Kyouya."


	7. Laceration

**I Like To Stalk You:** You'd be secret buds! Or maybe even penpals with Hibird delivering the messages. Imagine that! :D Is this enough molestation to satisfy you? **alguien22792:** I loved making him in denial, but I felt evil! xD The next chapter is probably going to be DPOV. I can't say I'll do well, but I'll do my best. **fuwacchi:** Mukuro appears!

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter seven—Laceration

**HPOV**

"Why haven't you looked at my face once?" Cavallone asked in a concerned voice.

I wanted to punch him in the face and then continue on my merry way back to the apartment. I didn't have time to deal with this idiot, I could feel my left eye starting to twitch again. Cavallone had kept bugging me all night and was now finally invading my personal bubble. I couldn't handle it and that was frustrating me. I needed some distance between myself and the stupid blonde. I could never think properly when he was around. I was leaking profanities inside my mind at an incredible rate, I could have probably put a sailor to shame at that moment.

"You disgust me," I admitted. I was happy my voice came out strong and didn't show how distressed I was with him instead my personal bubble. I tried to remove my wrist from his hand, but that just made him clench his hand around it tighter. I narrowed my eyes down at his hand, it was surely going to leave a bruise there if I didn't get it off soon. If I allowed him to cling to me, it would be similar to him marking me. I didn't want him to mark me in any way possible. I choked on the air going inside my lungs at that moment. It was another subtle reminder of the dream; I thought I'd finally gotten rid of everything connected with that and moved my mind onto better things. Apparently not, just the word _marking_ made me think of Cavallone looming over me. I could feel my eyes widen ever so slightly whilst I tried to regain my breath. I hoped he didn't catch on to what had happened, after all, it was only about two seconds that my shock had lasted. I coughed as quietly as I could and tried to hide my embarrassment of having a weak moment.

His grip tightened around my wrist again and he finally came out with, "What have I done?"

My temper was about to snap at that moment. It was strikingly obvious what he'd done, he'd touched me without permission again and hadn't even apologized for our first encounter. I didn't want to explain myself to him; I just wanted him to bleed. I hated the fact my reactions and thoughts got out of hand whenever he was around. I wasn't used to feeling like this. The only reasoning I could think of was because Cavallone wasn't afraid of me. Whenever I was rude or directed a glare at him over the past few days, he seemed to shrug it off his shoulders and simply smile at me. I hated it and most of all, I hated him. I didn't have my tonfas with me—they were still back in the apartment most likely bundled in my jacket. I proceeded to do the next best thing to shoving the metal across his skin.

As I turned around, my free hand was raised as a fist to strike him. I wanted to at least dent his face a little, I would have bruises on my wrist and he'd have evidence that I was angry marring his skin. It seemed like a win win situation for both of us. My left wrist was still in his hand, so I had to let my right one be raised. Just as it was about to make contact, I felt something cold wrap around it. I averted my eyes from the wall behind Cavallone's head and turned to see what had stopped my fist. I was angry that something could stop me, but it was slightly understandable due to the fact I wasn't actually looking at him. I knew I should've gotten over my little fear and glared at him in the face, but I still couldn't bring myself to do it. I felt a scowl settled itself on my face when I saw it was something leathery that was currently restraining my fist. It had wrapped itself at least three times around my wrist and had enough pressure applied to it that I couldn't attack. I followed the material back to its owner and felt my eyes widen when I saw what it really was. Cavallone was holding a whip in his free hand and it was the leathery thing wrapped around my wrist. I was too caught up in my anger that I didn't see him get it out. I felt absolutely ridiculous at that moment, I was trying so hard to avoid looking at him directly that I'd made myself defenceless. I didn't know Cavallone could even use a weapon, but the whip that was becoming tighter around my wrist by the second proved that he could. I glared daggers at the weapon, I knew even if I struggled, I wouldn't be able to get free.

Turning my head away, I glanced up the stairs quickly. We weren't that far up, I was sure Cavallone had only taken at least one step. I was probably on the fifth step. I wanted to kick him, but I doubted whether I would keep my balance considering where we were standing. I didn't have any way of moving without looking like a pathetic herbivore. I swore again internally before letting a sigh out of my throat.

"What do you want, Cavallone?" I asked without any emotion in my voice. I didn't want him to know I felt helpless at that moment.

"I just want to know what's wrong."

"There's nothing wrong," I denied flatly.

"Look at my face then," he pleaded. I mentally scoffed at his attempt of getting me to open up—we both had our hands full and whilst I was trying to avoid him, he was clinging to me. I was sure this was similar to harassment and I wanted nothing more than to kick him down the stairs and then break a few of his bones.

"No," I hissed.

"Kyouya," he said with a warning tone in his voice.

My eyes narrowed into slits as I stared at the stairs again. I didn't know what he thought he was going to do; but there was nothing he could in this situation. It was just an empty threat in his voice. The only way we would start moving again would be if either of us made the first move. I couldn't do anything without losing my balance, so it seemed he would have to. I felt a growl forming in my throat as I realized he had all the control in this situation. I banged my head against my imaginary wall while thinking about how I could get out. Before I could comprehend the situation, I realized my arms were now in an awkward position. Cavallone had started walking up the stairs and was dragging my arms along with him. I hissed a little at the tug he gave me, but followed him up. I didn't want my limbs to be sore from all the pulling. I was definitely going to break out of his grip soon and at least punch him twice. I didn't like the fact I was being dragged along like a disobedient child. I was young, but I wasn't someone having a tantrum.

We'd reached the top of the stairs after a few rough tugs on my arms. I was still scowling when I saw Cavallone starting to turn around. I averted my gaze from the floor by his shoes and started to stare at the wall in front of me. I could still make out Cavallone's shape, but it was a blur. I was absolutely ecstatic that I couldn't see his face properly, but I could roughly make out what he was doing. He stopped gripping my wrist tightly, so I took that as my chance to snatch it away. As I was about to move my arm backwards and then raise it to make contact with his face, his hand attached itself to my wrist again. I groaned internally when I realized he was just adjusting the positioning so it wasn't uncomfortable. The whip was still wrapped tightly around my right arm and wasn't showing any signs of releasing me. I could feel Cavallone's stare on my face—it was making my skin prickle ever so slightly. He was only about two steps in front of me and I didn't like it one bit. I bit the inside of my cheek when I saw him take a step closer. I clenched my hands into fists and glared at the wall again. I didn't want to face him just yet, but I didn't have a plan formed. I could've probably kicked him in this situation, but that seemed like a coward's way out. Kicking his shin or maybe even his crotch would mean my pride would be shattered, I'd already embarrassed myself plenty today so I didn't want to do that anymore.

"Let me go," I hissed. The only answer I received was the whip tightening around my wrist. I moved my glare from the wall onto my wrist, I didn't like the sight of myself being helpless.

"Look at me."

"No." I scowled.

"Do you hate me?" He sighed.

"Hn." I didn't need to explain—it should have been strikingly obvious that I hated him. My actions over the few days that we'd known each other hardly indicated that I wanted to be his friend. I'd been rude, disrespectful and plain blunt. I didn't even know why we were having this talk, but I knew he needed to see a psychiatrist and sort his problems out. It was getting on my nerves that nothing seemed to go through to his brain.

I closed my eyes in frustration while I waited for Cavallone to finally understand. I hoped he'd let go off me soon and simply walk back to the apartment like nothing had ever happened. Of course, nothing went how I wanted it to. Before I could even let a scowl frame my lips, I could feel Cavallone's breath on my face. I didn't want to open my eyes, I knew if I did, I could only be able to see him.

"Look at me, Kyouya." I could feel his breath splash over my face with every word he said.

I growled before forcing my eyelids open. I stared straight into his eyes with determination floating around in mine. I tried not to let him see that looking at him had made me react negatively, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck starting to stand up and my breaths becoming deeper. I kept my expression relatively the same, but I was sure my eyes widened a small fraction. Only one flash back was playing back in my mind at that point—it was where he had said my name in the nightmare. It was almost the same as he said it now, but it was laced with different emotions. Cavallone was obviously agitated at the moment and I was sure both of our tempers were going to snap at any given moment.

"Happy?" I hissed.

"Not quite." I looked away from his eyes and took in his expression. The cheerful smile that seemed to always be present wasn't framing his face. Instead, a frown was settled on his lips. There wasn't any glint in his eyes, but there was a foreign emotion in them. I felt myself arch an eyebrow at his expression—I didn't have a clue what he wanted, but he definitely didn't seem like his usual self.

"Why have you not looked at me all night?" he questioned.

"I didn't want to."

"Why?" Instead of an answer, I raised my eyebrows under my bangs. Cavallone really was an idiot if he couldn't tell I hated him. It didn't really help my argument that I was now looking at him straight in the face, but it was the only place I could look. He was almost pressed against me and I tried to keep my heartbeat under control. I was sure my killer instinct was going out of control again. Cavallone had been in my personal bubble for at least twenty minutes and he was still breathing. Normally, anyone who'd been in my bubble for that long had at least three broken bones. Cavallone didn't even have a scratch, but he had me in a helpless position. I felt a growl vibrating in my mouth when I remembered my hands were both restrained, one by his hand and the other by a damn whip. I didn't know he had a whip even with my unconscious stalking. "Why?" He repeated.

I still gave no indication that I was going to answer, instead I simply stared in his eyes with a glare. I was trying to convey through my eyes alone that if he didn't let me go at that instant he wasn't going to be able to have babies at a later point in his life. My threat apparently didn't go through to his mind, his next movements proved that completely.

Cavallone certainly did make the first move. I didn't even have time to react before he crashed his lips to mine. I felt my eye twitch at the sudden contact, it was the second time we'd kissed in real life, but it felt like more because of the dream. I found myself frozen from shock and not able to react violently. Instead, I just stood there doing nothing. I could feel Cavallone harshly moving his mouth against mine and I tried to snap myself out of the shock.

As his tongue licked my bottom lip, I found myself outraged at another reminder of the nightmare. I did the only thing I could think of at that moment and would hate myself for later for it—I kissed him back.

Immediately, I opened my mouth and granted his appendage entrance inside. I closed my eyes instead of awkwardly staring back into his and let my mind wander back to the nightmare. I remembered that my body didn't know how to kiss back then, but it slowly learnt. I furrowed my eyebrows slightly trying to remember how to do it properly so I didn't appear as weak as I felt. A light bulb went off inside my brain before I roughly let my tongue press against his. I could feel a growl forming in the back of my throat from the friction—it felt good and I wasn't afraid to admit it at that moment. I completely forgot the situation and tilted my head upwards to get a better angle. It was strikingly obvious that Cavallone had pressed his body against mine; I could clearly feel his body heat radiating through my clothes.

The kiss was angry and lasted for longer than was necessary. All our frustrations were leaking into it and fuelling our desire to make the other understand something. I had no idea what Cavallone wanted, but I knew what my intention was.

We broke away from each other and were panting, I slowly opened my eyes and almost did a double take at what I saw. Cavallone looked incredibly happy with himself at that moment. Even if he was panting quite a lot he still had that ridiculous smile plastered on his face. I mentally slammed my head against my imaginary wall before realizing it was now or never to put my plan into action. I moved my left arm and was pleased when I realized Cavallone had let his grip loosen on my wrist. I could freely move my hand now, but I wasn't going to punch him. I was going to be much more creative and inflict him more pain and possibly scar his skin.

I raised my left hand to entangle itself in his hair. I moved my hand into a fist and I roughly pulled him down and pressed our lips together again. I heard him let out a surprised gasp and I took advantage of that, I slipped my tongue inside his mouth and twisted it around his. I had my eyes open this time and was pleased when I saw Cavallone close his own. I was sure that the look in mine would have given away my true intention. I could hide the emotions on my face, but not the shine in my eyes. I was pleased with the friction I'd created and the moan that was building in the back of Cavallone's throat. After a few heated seconds, I felt his whip loosen around my right wrist and I was mentally cheering. It was exactly how I'd expected him to react.

After what seemed like forever, we pulled apart again. We were panting just like before, but I could tell he was happier this time. I was too, but for a different reason. The whip was about a second away from completely falling off of my wrist and I was definitely going to make a move before he noticed. I could feel his heartbeat thumping heavily against his chest and I tried to ignore the fact my heart was acting the same way. I felt my left hand fall from his hair and I let my arm hang over his shoulder. I slowly raised my other arm and settled it into a similar pose as the other. If anyone had seen this scene, they would have thought I was practically hanging from his neck and I would've never lived it down. My real intention was nothing of the sort, but I was fine with acting for now. I could see Cavallone's smile broaden as he took in my pose. I was mentally cheering at the fact he hadn't noticed his weakening grip and the fact that there were no other people crowding in the corridor. I was sure if there were, they wouldn't be breathing right for at least a few weeks.

He moved his lips down to meet mine without any hesitation, it was still a heated kiss and that was exactly what I was hoping for. I let him roughly attack my mouth for what seemed like minutes before I decided to put my plan into action. I retracted my tongue from his mouth and settled it back inside my own. I heard him grunt in disapproval and I was slightly shocked at the fact I could feel the vibration in my mouth. I mentally shook my head before continuing. I felt him prod my tongue quickly, as if questioning what I was doing. I smirked before I gave him my answer.

I bit down on his tongue hard enough to draw blood.

When I could taste the bitter tang of the copper liquid flowing into my mouth, I was incredibly happy with myself. I almost laughed when I heard him hiss in pain. It was wonderful to finally hear him in pain; the last time I'd heard that noise was when I'd bitten his cartilage. I carried on adding pressure onto the wound for a few moments, but soon Cavallone wasn't emitting any noises. I frowned a little from noticing that, I wanted to hear him cry out in pain. I sucked at his wound quickly, making more blood than necessary flow. Once I was pleased with the amount of blood, I let him withdraw his tongue. Before he could detach his mouth from mine, I harshly bit down onto his bottom lip. I was rewarded for a surprised yelp and was doing a mental happy dance. I'd definitely caught him off guard again and his reactions were amusing.

I bit down onto his lip until I felt the skin rip open. It was amusing that Cavallone was trying to mumble something, but it was useless when his lip was being destroyed whilst in my mouth. I lapped at his wound for a few moments, savouring the copper liquid that was flowing freely. I could hear him hiss in pain, but that just fuelled my sadistic antic more. I was sure at that point blood was trickling freely from his mouth and most likely landing on the floor with a splat. The thought that my bite might scar his lip had me sucking on his lip even more—I was attempting to get all the possible blood out. I opened my eyes and I glanced up to see his surprised ones. His face was literally contorted with shock and I was almost rejoicing at that moment. I was satisfied with this attack for now. I'd make him feel more pain later, when he didn't expect it. I detached myself from his lip and removed my hands from around his neck. I moved back two steps before harshly wiping my mouth. I was pleased to see on the back of my hand there were blood smears; I needed to go wash the blood off of my face. I didn't turn around to glance at Cavallone, I was sure at that moment he was fingering his lip and trying to stop the bleeding.

I walked briskly to the apartment, I was pleased that I'd finally made him cry out in pain when he didn't expect it. I threw the door open and closed it behind me. I was almost smirking that it might have hit Cavallone in the face; a broken nose would have gone great with the rest of his face. I placed my shoes down at the entrance and removed my socks. I wanted to walk barefoot around the apartment, it was always nice feeling to do that once in awhile. I walked slowly, trying to concentrate on the feeling of my feet slapping against the floorboards. I needed to polish them soon, they were getting dull. I quickly shook my head and quickened my pace.

Without looking behind me once, I walked into my room. I hadn't heard Cavallone come inside the apartment, so I was sure he was trying to fix his mouth outside. I smirked while thinking of the damage I'd done. His mouth was wet so the wound on his tongue wasn't going to close anytime soon. If I had applied more pressure, he might have needed stitches. I cursed inside my mind when I realized the wound was too subtle—people wouldn't be able to see it very well. They'd just see an angry welt on his lip and assume he liked it rough. I frowned.

While shaking my head quickly, I checked myself over for any signs of blood. I didn't spy any on my uniform, so I hoped that most of it went over Cavallone. It was nice to think how much he'd have to pay for his shirt to become clean. I glanced at the alarm clock on my windowsill and felt my eyes widen when I took in the time. It was ten o'clock now, which meant I'd spent at least five hours with Cavallone. It definitely didn't seem that long. I'd thought it had taken at least three hours or maybe less. The meal didn't take long and the walk certainly didn't, but maybe we were walking slower than usual. There was also the little scene outside that needed to be taken account of. I thought that would have been forty minutes. Apparently my sense of time around him went haywire. I frowned when realizing that—I seemed hopeless whenever he was in my presence.

My shoulders shrugged slightly before I moved to close the door behind me. I wanted to be in peace and I hoped closing my door was a sign to prove that. I settled myself down on my bed, but frowned slightly when I realized my uniform was uncomfortable. I stripped and placed my clothing on floor, I definitely needed to wear a new set tomorrow. It was slightly cold in just boxers, so I dived under my duvet. I didn't have any intention of sleeping, so I placed my pillows up against the bed and leant back on them. I opened the book to the page I was on this morning and completely lost myself in the story. It was better than thinking about reality, far better.

The next thing I was aware of was the fact I'd fallen asleep—I could feel my neck was stiff from lying down in such an awkward position. I'd slouched slightly when I was leaning back, resulting in my head at an uncomfortable angle. I groaned and pushed myself up with my hands. I felt something hard hit my stomach so I let out a low hiss. I opened my eyes and cast my gaze downwards. The book I had been reading last night had hit my stomach at a weird angle, the spine had collided with the flesh just above my navel. I frowned when I realized that it might bruise, I didn't want to admit a book had harmed me. I threw the book on the floor and my desire to finish the last chapter completely went away.

I grimaced after I'd gotten out of bed, I'd completely underestimated the temperature. I could feel the hairs on my arms and legs start to stand up. It was definitely cold and I didn't like the feeling. I quickly shook my head and tried to forget about the cold air assaulting me. I looked at the clock and frowned when I saw it was four in the morning. I hadn't slept that long, I guessed around two hours. I was caught up in reading the story after all. It was slightly annoying that I'd fallen asleep just before the ending, but I couldn't find it within me to care about that at the moment. I wanted to be warm again. I huffed slightly before making my way to the bathroom. It seemed like a great idea to have a shower, it would be warm and I'd feel clean after. As I opened the bathroom door, I felt like killing two birds with one stone. I quickly picked up my toothbrush and then turned the water on. I squeezed out a fair amount of toothpaste onto the toothbrush and placed it into my mouth. I removed my boxers quickly before stepping into the shower. The water was definitely warm this time—previously, I'd been splashed with cold water. I frowned a little from remembering but quickly got to work with washing myself.

As I was letting the water wash the soap off my body, I started to brush my teeth. I hissed slightly at the sensitive bits again. I probably needed to be gentler when brushing, but I didn't have the patience. I washed my hair in record time and smiled slightly at the smell. I was still using the new shampoo I'd spotted before and it still smelt nice. I didn't feel sick after smelling it for a few minutes which was a good sign. I hated my old mint shampoo—I always had to resist the urge to scrunch my nose up whenever using it.

I turned the water off and immediately spat the toothpaste out of my mouth. It was stinging my gums from keeping it in there for too long. I knew I should've spat it out earlier, but I wanted to rid my mouth of the taste of Cavallone even more. I stepped out the shower and placed the toothbrush back in its pot. I picked up a towel from the rack and wrapped it around my body. I started wiping my hair with the smaller ones, not liking the feeling of the water droplets occasionally falling onto my chest and back. It was just making me even colder, I'd showered to escape that feeling.

A chill ran down my back and I shivered a little. I really needed to get dressed soon or I'd probably catch a cold. I was wondering whether I'd left any of the windows open, but I doubted whether the breeze would reach the bathroom. I shook my head slightly before placing the towel from my hair back down. I didn't need it anymore; my hair was almost completely dry. I liked having hair that dried quickly. I made sure the towel was secure around my waist before trotting towards the door. I opened it and immediately regretted it. The wave of cold air splashed over me and almost made me gasp out loud. I had completely forgotten to bring clothes to change into and was now suffering. It was incredibly cold, but it was to be expected at this time of year. It was January, which meant the cold was natural. It had been a higher temperature than expected for the past few weeks which I liked. It was horrible to suddenly have a temperature drop, I didn't watch the weather reports to be warned of such a thing.

With a scowl etched onto my face I walked to my room. I slammed the door shut behind me and started to search through my drawers. I got out a new pair of boxers and then a clean pair of socks. I chose a crisp white shirt and another pair of black trousers. It was mostly all I owned, I only had a few other clothes, but I didn't wear them. I preferred wearing simple clothing. I got dressed quickly and only stopped for a moment while putting on deodorant. I glanced at the clock again and noted that it was now five in the morning. It was the perfect time to go out, so I was going to go patrol the school. Even if it was Sunday, I had missed going there yesterday for unnecessary reasons. I pulled my jacket over my shoulders before turning to leave. I opened my bedroom door again and walked into the hallway. Just as I was about to proceed to walk to the door, curiosity got the better of me. I turned around quickly and started to walk towards Cavallone's room. I wasn't going to enter—I just wanted to know if he ever came back inside. I hadn't heard him come inside again and I was sure I would have woken up if he had made a little bit of noise. I stalked close enough to his door that I could hear someone breathing harshly inside. I could see that the door was slightly ajar, but I was not rude enough to peep in. I was only curious to see whether he was inside the room, I didn't want to alert him of my presence. I didn't know how he'd react to me once we saw each other again. The emotions of last night were completely unsettling.

I furrowed my eyebrow as I listened outside. I didn't recognize whoever was breathing in there, it was too harsh. I leant my back against the wall and crossed my arms over my chest. I didn't know why I was still staying there, but I felt it was necessary. Cavallone hadn't told me if someone was coming round. It was rude for someone to just barge in. I hadn't set any rules yet, but it should have been obvious that he was supposed to tell me about whoever came round. I didn't let any herbivore out there skip into my apartment.

"Ah." I felt my breathing stop. "A-ah."

My hand clumsily slammed over my mouth to stop myself from making any noise. I hadn't expected to hear anything like that, but when I did comprehend what it was, I choked on the air going through my lungs at that moment. I felt my face warming up from the choking, but I couldn't do anything about it without making any noises. I needed to get away from that scene I was hearing before I made it even more awkward to be around Cavallone. I raised one foot and was about to walk away from I heard another noise.

"Nnn," I heard someone pant.

I wanted to kick myself in the face right there for recognizing who that was. I hated myself for it, but I knew that was Cavallone's voice. My eyes widened as I slowly put the pieces of information together.

Cavallone had a girlfriend round after he'd jumped me last night.

I didn't understand my reaction, but I felt a burning in my chest. I glanced down at it curiously, but my throat soon reminded me that I needed to cough. I quickly walked away as quiet as I could and slipped my shoe on. I nodded to myself when I realized my keys were in my pocket. I didn't want to make an awkward rip back to my room and risk over hearing that again. I shut the door behind me quickly and practically ran down the stairs.

Once I was outside the apartment doors, I coughed. It was more than I was expecting, I had a coughing fit for at least two minutes. It felt horrible to feel my face heat up and my eyes to water from trying to stop the action. I was just hoping no one had seen me. It would have been embarrassing, even if I hadn't shown it on the outside. I quickly wiped my mouth and then shook my head. I needed to air out my thoughts and think about how to confront Cavallone. I was fuming that he had someone over, but even more so about the fact he had someone that close to him but still made advances on me. It had to just be my anger building up. After all, his reactions to pain I inflicted upon him were always amusing.

My hands were successfully stuffed in my pockets before I continued to walk away. It didn't take me long to realize where my body was taking me, I recognized the useless set of swings and other attractions. My feet were automatically taking me to the high tree in the corner. I liked being at that tree before, but now it seemed like my thinking corner. I begrudgingly sat down by the trunk and leant my back against the tree. I was still fuming with anger and I needed to get myself under control.

While I ran a hand through my hair, I heard footsteps. I whipped my head around quickly and growled at what I saw. Pineapple was standing only a few feet away from me.

"Oh, Kyouya. You seem to be enjoying yourself there," he commented.

My eyes narrowed at the sound of my name. I had to blame Cavallone for the fact he knew it; he'd heard Cavallone address me as it back in the apartment. I clenched my hands into fists before answering, "Get away from me."

"I have something of yours. Do you recognize this?" His tone was laced with amusement, I felt my eye twitching from simply hearing it for more than two sentences. I grudgingly glanced up to his hand and groaned internally at what I saw.

Pineapple was holding my phone in his right hand. I hadn't seen it for at least a day, but I didn't have a clue where he had found it. I had originally thought it was located somewhere in my room, most likely fallen out of my trousers when I threw them on the floor one time. My eyes widened as I thought about the time Pineapple was in my apartment. He'd been pleased with himself and absolutely happy to leave, even with threats being splashed in his face. It might have been around then that he had grabbed my phone. It was possible due to the fact I was weak from my headache and not eating. I hissed slightly about the fact it was my own fault, it hardly ever was. I stood up quickly and grabbed my tonfas from my jacket. I was mentally cheering about the fact I'd remembered to take them out this time; I didn't want to repeat the weakness I experienced with Cavallone earlier ever again. I positioned them expertly and got ready to fight.

"I'll bite you to death," I hissed.

Pineapple's answer was odd. Instead of fleeing or even trying to fight me, he arched an eyebrow. He slowly lifted his hands up and was in the surrendering pose. I felt my eyes narrow from seeing it, he was definitely planning something.

"I don't want to fight you, Kyouya. I just want to talk." He smirked.


	8. Contemplation

**Chimchar:** It's lovely and innocent. Haha. **I Like To Stalk You:** Do you love Dino again after this? **Nadeshiko Lachrymose:** Eh, I'm sorry this isn't a lemon. I'm sure I'll get to that soon. **alguien22972:** I'm sure he'll find out soon! Oho, you won't know until the next chapter! **azel-chan:** Imaginary walls are all the rage. Didn't you know? Holy shit Hibird! I completely forgot about him. *smacks head on the wall* I'll just throw him in the next chapter somewhere haha. **fuwacchi:** Don't lose faith in Dino!

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter eight—Contemplation

**DPOV**

As I let out a low groan, my body slid down onto the floor. I hesitantly touched my hand to my lip in wonder. I couldn't fully comprehend what had happened, but I did know I was happy. A broad smile was sprouting on my lips despite the pain that was radiating through my face. It was certainly one step forward and then two back with anything concerning Kyouya. I pulled my hand back and looked at the blood that was colouring my fingertips. I couldn't find it within me to be angry for any reason at that moment. The blood was a reminder of what had happened; if I had a scar on my lip later in my life, I wouldn't mind. It would serve as a permanent reminder of my feelings.

The feelings I had for Kyouya I didn't completely understand; all I knew was when we were rarely intimate, I felt absolutely complete. I remembered how I practically attacked him a few days ago when we first met, but it was completely understandable because of that dream I had. At least, that was how I viewed it. I was too caught up in my feeling of happiness to realize I was molesting a minor that didn't even recognize me. It didn't occur to me until I was dabbing at my wound inside Tsunayoshi's house a few minutes later. I remembered the smile was always present on my face whenever I thought about him. I only knew his name and the fact he'd threatened me at that point and I didn't mind one bit. I traced the cut on my ear whilst thinking about our encounter.

It was definitely a surprise to hear about Tsuna's encounters with Kyouya. I didn't expect him to be a violent prefect, but that just made the challenge greater. After Tsuna had told me Kyouya's name it had taken at least an hour and several panic attacks from him to finally reveal some information. I smiled as I thought about the conversation, Tsuna's reactions were definitely strange.

"Tsuna, what can you tell me about Kyouya?" I asked.

Tsuna's eyes practically bulged out of his head; his face visibly paled and I could faintly make out the fact he was shaking. I quirked an eyebrow at his reaction, it was similar to when he'd seen Kyouya's face outside earlier. I was interested in their relationship, they obviously knew each other but were not on best friend terms. I placed my hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. It took a few moments of heavy breathing until Tsuna finally came back to the right state of mind.

"Do you know Hibari-san?" He squeaked.

I chuckled before answering, "You could say that."

Tsuna's eyes widened even more from my reply, I didn't know what he was expecting, but that definitely scared him. His mouth was hanging open at that moment too. I scouted the area quickly for any signs of flies; it was definitely going to be amusing to see one fly straight into Tsuna's mouth. Unfortunately, there weren't any. After my scouting it seemed that Tsuna had finally recovered from his shock and was shaking his head.

"Do you go to school with him?" I questioned.

"Yes."

"Is he in your class then?"

"N-no. Hibari-san doesn't attend classes," Tsuna whispered.

I raised an eyebrow at that, I definitely needed Tsuna to elaborate. It was strange to belong to a school and not attend classes. I didn't like the thought of Kyouya being a delinquent, but the jacket around his shoulders may have been an indication. I shivered slightly at the thought. If he really was a delinquent, I was probably going to get bottled the next time I went outside of the house. I recalled the outfit he was wearing and quickly kicked the thought out of my mind. I'd never seen a tidy delinquent before and I doubted that was the style in Japan.

"What does he do?" I wondered out loud.

"He's the leader of the Disciplinary Committee."

"Is that why you're scared of him?" The only answer I got from that was a squeak. My gaze wondered back to Tsuna and I almost burst out laughing. Tsuna had his hands covering his face while he was mumbling something under his breath. I'd probably hit the nail on the head and burst his bubble. I didn't mean to, I was just being blunt.

"Not exactly," he whispered. "Hibari-san is brutal. He bites you to death if you're a few seconds late for school," Tsuna shuddered whilst telling me this. I was pleased with the new information, but it did seem as though I'd definitely got myself into trouble with the prefect. I'd have to be cautious wherever I went. I could believe what Tsuna had told me, after all, Kyouya was extremely violent earlier. The bruise on my stomach and the deep bite mark on my ear proved it. Kyouya was nice after I'd bumped into him and probably bruised his face and even showed me the way here. He was harmless for a few microseconds after the kiss too, but that was it. From that point on he was violent and I shuddered at the memory. I much preferred the gentle version but from what Tsuna had told me I doubted whether I'd get to see it again.

I carried on pressing Tsuna for details and in the end I found out quite a bit.

Kyouya absolutely hated crowds, one of his excuses for injuring people was because they were crowding. Apparently it had been used on Tsuna more than a dozen times in the past month. Kyouya didn't have any friends, just subordinates. Genders didn't matter to him at all, he'd cause anyone to bleed if they offended them.

I felt the blood trickle out of my mouth and make its way down to my chin. I frowned before wiping it with my hand, I didn't mind the blood still, but it snapped me out of my memory. Even if it was only a few days ago, it was still nice to think back to it.

The morning after meeting Kyouya for the first time, I followed Tsuna to his school. I was told that if I made myself stand out and possibly cause a commotion I'd probably end up in a hospital bed. I gulped before sneaking my way inside. I had asked earlier in the morning where I'd find Kyouya and I was making my way there slowly. Once I was sure there were no students in the hallways, I cautiously walked inside. I was trying to make my footsteps as light as possible, I wanted to surprise Kyouya. It took me at least ten minutes to finally find the room Tsuna had mentioned Kyouya liked to spend him time in; the reception room. I spied a sign on the door but decided to shrug it off my shoulders, I didn't think it would matter if I ignored it. Even if it was perfectly taped to the door anyone could have put it up. I opened the door as quietly as I could and was mentally happy dancing at the fact there was no annoying creak. I almost gasped out loud at what I saw inside.

Kyouya was curled up on the couch and was sleeping quietly. I tiptoed closer and positioned myself so I was nearby the window, it was a good position, from there I could clearly see Kyouya's face. He was breathing through his mouth and I could see the shadows his eyelashes were creating on his face. He looked peaceful and I felt guilty for intending to disturb that. Before I could fully appreciate his sleeping form, his body slowly lifted himself up. I felt my eyes widen at the sight, even if the movement was slow, I could see the muscles on his back start to move as he lazily stretched his arms out in front of him. I chuckled at the sight—Kyouya was stretching like a cat. It was definitely a cute but unconscious habit. I hoped I could see it more in the future. He leant back into the sofa and stared up into my eyes. I smiled into his eyes, there wasn't an angry tint to his irides like the last time I'd seen them.

"Were you sleepy, Kyouya?" I couldn't help but ask. The image of him stretching like a cat was still in my mind. It was too cute for his own good, it completely contradicted the character that Tsuna made him out to be. Kyouya's reaction to my question was unexpected. Instead of answering, he blinked. Several times. I hadn't seen anything go into his eyes so I was wondering about his actions, it might have been another habit I needed to take note of.

"Who are you?"

I grimaced slightly at that, I was sure he'd remember me. I was probably being too stuck up. For all I knew, Kyouya had a bad memory. I could see his mouth turn into a frown when he took in my expression. I leant forward, trying to decipher what exactly he was thinking. It seemed I got too close for his comfort, he immediately let his eyes widen with shock and then settled his features into a scowl. I was taken aback when I could hear the growl within his throat.

I frantically put my hands up in the surrendering position before saying, "Wait, Kyouya. I just want to speak."

I could see him becoming visibly angrier with every second that passed. I found myself gulping while trying to take in any changes in his expression, but I could only see anger within his eyes. His eyes twisted into a glare while he stared into mine.

"You have five seconds to spit out who you are."

It was certainly a step up from Kyouya simply walking out of the room. I was happy that he was curious about my identity, but still sad from the fact he didn't remember me. I still remembered him clearly. I simply stared into his eyes, I wasn't going to give away my name just yet. Before I could even blink, there was a cold metal object pressing against my neck in a harsh manner. I knew that if I didn't do anything at that moment, my windpipe was going to be in trouble. I gulped before getting the message that he wanted me to continue.

"Dino Cavallone," I admitted.

Kyouya's eyes narrowed even more than before after finding out my name and I found out that I didn't like that particular reaction. I was starting to think the kindness he showed yesterday was just a fluke or a very rare act. I felt slightly blessed that it was towards me, but I knew I couldn't breathe a word of it. After all, Tsuna said he was a feared person in Namimori. I definitely wasn't expecting Kyouya's next action, before I could fully comprehend what had happened, there was a shooting pain up my nose. I grimaced before moving my hands to cover my nose. In them few seconds when I was disoriented with the pain Kyouya had walked away. I look around for any sign of him quickly and cursed under my breath when I saw the door close. I was about to go after him when blood trickled down onto my mouth. I shuddered before looking for a tissue to clean up the blood. It would serve as another reminded, I seemed to get wounds of some sort whenever I met Kyouya.

I couldn't really explain my attraction to him, I just felt like I wanted to get to know him more. It was understandable—I dreamt of a stranger and then met him the same day. It had to be a twist of fate, even the fact he seemed to hate my guts. His face in the few defenceless seconds that I'd seen it was absolutely amazing. I shook my head before running a hand through my hair. I didn't have any excuses for my behaviour a few minutes ago, but I couldn't control myself. I remembered my reaction to finding out there was a spare room in his apartment. I was almost cheering at my good luck at that moment. I didn't directly find out about it, but I was still grateful to Nana for telling me. I had overheard her talking to someone on the phone mentioning there was a spare room in an apartment. That immediately piqued my interest. I didn't want to freeload off of my family for a few months, I thought it would be a great idea to temporarily live in an apartment. When I'd asked Nana about the details that night I almost jumped out of my skin.

"Did I hear there was a spare room in an apartment?" I questioned.

Nana turned round quickly and waggled her finger in my face quickly before opening her mouth to say, "You shouldn't eavesdrop, but yes."

"Where is it?"

"It's in an apartment complex about five minutes from the Middle School."

I thought about the new information over before asking, "How much will the rent be?"

"Hibari-san said the usual amount, but more money is welcome," Nana smiled.

I'm sure my eyes widened at that point—I recognized Kyouya's last name. I was probably getting my hopes up at that point but I didn't mind asking, "Hibari-san?"

"Yes! But, she won't be there. She's working away. Only her son is living there at the moment."

I instantly accepted the offer and even paid more than necessary, I was mentally praising my luck and the fact that Mother Nature was on my side at that point. It was a miracle that I actually had a reason to get close to Kyouya now. I was too happy that night, I remembered Tsuna throwing a pillow at my face to try and make me stop smiling. I couldn't help it; I was ecstatic that I was going to move in with Kyouya the next day. I was told to move in at six o'clock tomorrow which meant I had to amuse myself for most of the day. I thought I'd explore the town; it was about time I learnt my surroundings. I wouldn't mind getting lost if Kyouya would show me around but I doubted whether he'd be that nice a second time. I smiled remembering the scene again.

As I sneezed violently, I unintentionally spat some blood on my hand. I grimaced before wiping it on my trousers, I was still sitting outside thinking. I didn't want to go in to face Kyouya yet, I wanted to get my thoughts in order.

When I was nervously standing in front of Kyouya's apartment door, I plastered on my best smile. I didn't know what his reaction to me would be but I was absolutely delighted. It was certainly a surprise when he slammed the door straight on my face after taking one look at me. I shook my head before grasping the door handle and letting myself in, I didn't want him to see that his reaction had affected me.

As soon as I was inside I smiled and said, "Hey Kyouya! Long time no see."

He simply glared at my face before spitting out, "What are you doing here, Cavallone?"

"I'm your new roommate," I admitted.

A smile framed my lips at his reaction, Kyouya's eyes had widened and he looked like he wanted to leave his mouth open to show his surprise. I was glad I told Nana not to tell him my name, this was much better. I was mentally praising the heavens that I didn't get a knife to my throat the moment he saw me. I didn't want to push my luck just yet so I started walking into the apartment. I was surprised that the apartment was as tidy as it was, I was definitely expecting less from a teenager. I sniffed slightly as I passed one of the rooms. The door was slightly left open but I could tell who it belonged to. It smelt completely like Kyouya—vanilla and something I couldn't put my finger on. I smiled to myself before leaning against the wall beside the door. I turned my head to see Kyouya looking at me curiously.

"I'm guessing this is your room, Kyouya."

"Hn." Was the only answer I received from him. It was better than nothing so I was happy, I picked up my bag again and went to the hall to what I assumed was the spare room. I was relieved when it really was, there were barely any possessions in there except for a few books scattered around. I placed the few possessions I had around the room and gently placed my clothes inside the dresser. I didn't bring that many, I needed to go shopping.

When I'd finished putting away my belongings, I went into the living room. I settled myself down onto the sofa and wondered where Kyouya had gone to, I hadn't seen him since I first entered the apartment. It had been at least twenty minutes since then. I almost started choking when I heard the water running inside the bathroom. I had to cover my mouth to hold in my gasp. I was sure my face was bright red at that moment and I knew I had to try and control myself.

The thought of Kyouya in the shower was too much for me at that moment. I couldn't get the image out of my head, it just kept popping back in. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself groaning out loud. It was certainly a nice image to think of Kyouya with soap bubbles all over his body. As I thought about where the bubbles lead to down his body, I knew I had to get out of there.

My thoughts were going completely haywire and I was started to question my sexuality. I clumsily got up whilst trying to ignore the throbbing down below. I didn't have time to deal with that sort of things—I needed to think without any distractions.

Before I could even take a few steps, the bathroom door opened. I moved my eyes to look and almost gasped out loud. Kyouya was casually walking out of the bathroom with just a towel hanging around his waist. He was acting as if it was nothing. He ignored my presence and made his way back to his room. I quickly shook my head before making my way to the door. I needed to go outside to get some fresh air, I thought it would be a good idea to ask Tsuna some questions too. I didn't make it to the door. Instead, I ended up with my face smashed against the coffee table and my limbs flailing off of it. I mentally groaned at my clumsiness, I was bound to fall over sooner or later. _It just had to be in front of Kyouya._ I heard a small laugh from in front of me and I swear my heart skipped a beat. When I'd gotten up, I saw no sign of Kyouya.

My feelings were going completely haywire at that moment, but I knew for sure that I was attracted to Kyouya. I didn't exactly have a say it in, my body simply reacted whenever he was around or when my thoughts revolved around him. I had only known him for less than a day, but I couldn't stop thinking about him. I wanted to be closer with him, but I knew it would be difficult.

I decided to test something.

After at least an hour of thinking about my emotions, I gathered up all my courage and tiptoed towards his door. I was crossing my fingers together hoping it wouldn't creak when I finally opened it. It seemed luck was on my side, the door opened without making a sound. I felt my cheeks heat up when I looked at Kyouya on his bed. He was sleeping in a similar position to yesterday; all curled up. It was even cuter when I saw him with less clothing. I tried to control myself and kept my thoughts on what I was testing. I cautiously walked closer until my knees hit his bed. I quickly took in a silent but deep breath and lowered myself down. The bed didn't make any noise, but I knew it would sink a little under my weight. I held my breath waiting to see if Kyouya would stir, when I was satisfied that he really was asleep, I laid down next to him. I carefully placed my head on the end of his pillow, making sure I was far away enough that my breath didn't splash over his skin.

I looked at his face for at least ten minutes before he started to move. I internally panicked, thinking about what I would do if he did wake up. I had only come here to see what my reaction to seeing him defenceless had been like, not to get beaten to a pulp. I gulped as quietly as I could before I saw him move. Kyouya nudged the pillow with his head and carried on moving until his forehead hit my chest. I mentally screeched at the feeling—I was still panicking about what to do, but now he was cuddling up to me in his sleep. I hadn't expected that. There was no way in hell I had been expecting it. He was gently nuzzling my chest with his cheek, trying to get comfortable. I was still holding my breath hoping that he would fall back into a deep sleep soon. I needed to get out of there before I did anything outrageous. After a few seconds, all of his movements stopped. I started breathing again before counting to ten in my head.

I literally ran out of the room trying not to make a sound.

The next time I'd seen Kyouya was in the morning, I'd walked out of my room and seen him sitting on the sofa watching a children's show. It was an unexpected sight and it definitely made me laugh. I questioned him about it briefly, but I wasn't getting many answers. After awhile, Kyouya started to purposely ignore me. I followed him to the kitchen to talk to him some more, but when I finally took in his appearance I was trying not to blush. He was only wearing boxers and I could completely see his body. His skin was still extremely pale and I wanted nothing more than to lean forward and leave a few red marks across his collarbone. There were no scars marring his skin but there were a few random moles. I found myself smiling at them, even if they were rare, they were quite cute. When I looked at his face, I could clearly see he was looking over my body. My breathing hitched slightly as I felt his gaze on me, I swore I could faintly make out the slightest blush on his cheeks.

When Kyouya finally looked at my face, I blurted out, "You're pretty cute, Kyouya."

I laughed to myself when I thought of his reaction; Kyouya's eyes widened and then he stormed off. Even if it wasn't intentional I was happy that I'd blurted that comment out. I was just being honest.

Later that very same day, I had made a fool out of myself again. I ended up having a nosebleed on the floor due to the fact Kyouya burst in on me whilst I was changing. I fell onto my face and felt the blood trickling out before even a second had passed.

Kyouya had left a key out for me and I immediately put it into use. After I'd cleaned up my puddle of blood and then fixed my nose, I got dressed and went outside. I was searching the area for a good restaurant, I was going to use any excuse I could find to drag Kyouya there at some point. It definitely wasn't my day when I was walking around; I remembered tripping over air as I was strolling down the street. I tried to ignore the stares that were on me and was cursing under my breath.

I hated being clumsy.

I went back to the apartment and slept for awhile before I saw Kyouya again. I saw something I never wanted to see in my life there as well.

A frown settled itself on my lips as soon as I saw a figure beside Kyouya. He was sitting down, but that didn't make any difference to my mood. I was told that Kyouya didn't have any friends, but there was a random person I'd never seen or been told about before casually sitting down on the sofa like he'd been here many times. I was still sleep, I guessed, since I believed his hairstyle looked similar to that of a pineapple. A dark blue pineapple. _Maybe he's just rotten? _

I rubbed my eyes quickly, hoping it was my imagination, before asking, "Kyouya, who's the pineapple?"

At first I only received a glare, but he eventually answered with, "Someone who's going to be in a ditch later on."

My curiosity levels definitely shot up at his reply. I looked at him properly before finally realizing what he was getting at. I first noticed his slightly flushed cheeks, but I quickly kicked that thought out of my mind when I saw what else he possessed. He had a pair of silver tonfas in his hands and had a scowl framing his face. I was rejoicing that it wasn't directed at me and felt relief flash over my features. Pineapple definitely wasn't Kyouya's friend. I didn't need to worry anymore about the situation.

"You're an unfriendly host." Pineapple smirked at Kyouya.

"I never invited you inside."

"Did you have company already?" He raised an eyebrow whilst saying this and cast a stray glance at my face. I was sure my eyes widened at his question; I hadn't expected that at all.

I shot a glance at Kyouya to see what his reaction would be, but of course, it was violent.

Kyouya went back to ignoring me after that. It was more than I could handle; I left to go talk to Tsuna. I spent at least two hours talking to Tsuna. We spoke about random things but I did bring up the subject of Kyouya at one point. Tsuna had the same react as ever other time I said Kyouya's name—he paled and visibly started shaking. I knew the stories Tsuna had told me at that point about the violent prefect but I couldn't help but think that his reactions fuelled Kyouya's violence. Of course, I never said that out loud. I'd probably get a pillow to my face.

"Tsuna, has Kyouya ever dated anyone?"

After a coughing fit that lasted at least two minutes Tsuna answered with, "He rejects everyone."

"Do you know why?" I pressed.

Tsuna paled again before saying, "He said he doesn't have any interest in such acts."

I raised an eyebrow at that, I didn't see how anyone would despise love or intimacy. I wanted to press for more details, but I doubted whether Tsuna would know a lot. I settled for finding out a few more details. "How many people have confessed to him?"

"I can't keep count. A girl confesses at least every month. It's awful on Valentine's. Hibari-san even rejects guys," Tsuna mumbled.

I caught the last comment despite the fact that his voice was losing its volume. I gulped before questioning further, slightly dreading what I was going to hear. "You haven't confessed to him, have you?"

I got a shriek and then a clumsy punch to the face as an answer—I took it as a no.

When I pulled my hand back from my mouth, I smiled when I realized the blood flowing out was decreasing. There were only a few drops coming out every minute or so now, it would probably completely stop in an at least two minutes. I was happy that it would stop so soon, but I couldn't help but have a bitter taste in my mouth. I thought about what had lead to Kyouya going out for dinner with me. I hadn't seen Kyouya since I went to Tsuna's house. When I got back, I couldn't hear any movements. I had finally decided to go see if he was inside his room when I thought I heard a sound from the bathroom. I cautiously approached the door and was taken aback when it was flung open.

What was even worse than that was Kyouya's reaction to seeing me, he visibly paled and I could see his eyes widen. Before I knew what had completely happened, I could see him falling onto the floor. I reacted without thinking, I leapt forward and caught him awkwardly in my arms. His face was smashed into my shoulder while one of his arms was touching my leg. I gulped before slowly propping him up.

My eyes widened when I could move him without any restraint, it was like he'd became a lifeless doll. I could awkwardly move his limbs without having him grunt in disapproval or anything remotely similar. I panicked and quickly picked him up. I was careful not to make any of his limbs crash into the wall and I moved down the hallway. When I opened the door to my room expertly with just my foot, I stared down at it in amazement. Normally if I tried that I would have ended up straight on my face. I was going to have to experiment with that later, but I was preoccupied with the motionless Kyouya in my arms. I settled him down on my bed quickly before sitting down beside him and thinking about what the hell had happened.

As soon as he looked directly at my face he had fainted. I couldn't help but frown at that.

I went to Tsuna's to ask him about a few things and possibly calm myself down, but before I went I left a note on the door. I was sure he'd see it but would probably ignore it. At least he'd know I was worried.

The next time I'd seen him, he was in the kitchen drinking water from a glass. I could faintly see that his skin was still pale, but I couldn't get a glance at his face.

"Are you okay now, Kyouya?" I asked.

The only answer I got was a quiet, "Hn."

Whilst walking closer to him, I squinted my eyes, trying to see if he really was okay. I wasn't exactly expecting an answer, but it couldn't have hurt to have hoped. I shot his face a wary glance when I saw there was some perspiration on his face. He definitely seemed like he was still suffering from whatever it was earlier. I positioned myself against the wall whilst I watched him work. He unnecessarily washed the glass he used at least two times.

It didn't take long for Kyouya's patience to run out. He slammed the glass down on the side and spat out, "What do you want?"

_You._ Just as I opened my mouth to speak—probably to blurt out an embarrassing sentence—Kyouya's stomach cut me off. It rumbled loudly and I tried to hold in my laugh from hearing it. I chose to alter my words and use his stomach as an excuse.

"I want to go out for a meal with you."

"What makes you think I want to eat with you?" Kyouya immediately replied. I didn't care that it was an insult, the fact he'd replied so quickly with a proper sentence made me happy. I knew that if I wanted him to come to with me I'd need to offer something he couldn't resist.

"I'll pay."

We walked in silence, but I was mentally cheering that I'd gotten Kyouya to eat dinner with me so soon. I thought it would have been at least a few months until he was comfortable enough with me, but luck seemed to be on my side. I could see he was still pale and I was determined to try and get the colour back in his face. I was going to strike up a conversation several times while we were walking to the restaurant, but I decided against it and slammed my mouth shut like a fish. I definitely caught Kyouya off guard when I opened the restaurants door for him. I wasn't about to let him waltz in there behind me or let him completely ignore me, I wanted to indicate people that they weren't supposed to look at him. I got an uncomfortable feeling in my chest when I thought about the stares I'd seen people flash at him. He'd been completely oblivious to it and it frustrated to me at no end. At that point I definitely knew I felt something for him—from the fluttering inside my chest that I felt when I saw him sleeping and the jolt from seeing him violent. I didn't care what face he showed me; I loved seeing them.

I shook my head before starting to sit down with Kyouya. I was glad I gave the waiter a look that meant I wanted to be seated away from everyone—I didn't want to mess up the dinner with people crowding around us. Kyouya was bound to get angry if that had happened. I was mentally rejoicing when we were placed at the back. Everyone else dining at the restaurant were seated at the front and we could barely hear their conversations.

When I noticed Kyouya hadn't picked up a menu yet, I gently poked him in the arm with it. His reaction was unexpected. He harshly took the menu out of my hands and then his face went red. His eyes widened slightly too, but more than that it seemed like his breathing hitched. I held my breath waiting to see what had happened but after a second he went back to normal; scowling whilst looking down at the menu. I rubbed my eyes quickly thinking that it was a trick of my imagination a moment ago. There was no evidence on his face that he'd been doing anything of the sort. I mentally scoffed at my imagination, I didn't need hallucinations in the middle of a public place.

When the waiter came, I simply ordered the drinks without sparing him a glance. I knew it was rude but I was concerned about Kyouya at that moment. He seemed to keep having random emotions splashed across his face for at least a second at a time and was losing the colour in his face frequently.

My eyes widened when I saw him glance down at his lap and then paled. I tried to think about innocent thoughts but I couldn't help the blush that came to my face at that moment. I hadn't noticed the waiter had returned with our drinks and I started laughing when I saw Kyouya cleaning up his drink with a grumpy expression on his face—he looked like someone just threw his new toy in a wildfire. I hadn't expected him to attempt to throw a napkin at me, but I smiled at the sight. It pathetically floated down onto the table in front of me. I moved it to the side of the table before ordering. I was mentally praying that I wouldn't spill my food all over me and I decided to be extra cautious. I ordered a pizza since I didn't see how I could go wrong with that.

It annoyed me to the last hair on my head when the waiter purposely ignored Kyouya. I felt the urge to punch him but I had to grit my teeth. I knew it would be no good to create a scene in a restaurant and I doubted I'd go out to eat with Kyouya again for at least a few months. I didn't want to spoil it, so I came out with, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

After Kyouya had ordered, he ignored me even more than before. He'd gave me one word answers for about two minutes and then didn't answer at all. It made my chest tighten when I finally noticed he hadn't looked at me all night. The last time he'd looked at me directly was before he fainted. I didn't know what was going on, but I was getting incredibly worried. Every time I spoke I could see Kyouya try and distance himself from me with petty things. When I said his name he simply turned his head and started staring at the painting beside us as if it had just given birth. I had to bite back a frown.

Even whilst we were eating, we didn't make conversation. Kyouya would still either stare off in random directions or look at his food. I couldn't help but notice how small he looked in front of me. He wasn't wearing his jacket around his shoulders that time, so I could clearly see how slight he looked in his clothes. I'd seen the muscles in his arms the other morning so I knew they were definitely there. His hair seemed to be fluffy beyond belief—I had to fight the urge to run my hand in it. If I did, I'd probably end up with a fork through my palm or something just as gruesome though. I could only faintly make out his silver irides and I felt my breathing hitch slightly. I liked every detail of him and I couldn't help but admire him.

At that point, I was certain I was homosexual. Kyouya had spoken before I could put my thoughts together.

"Could you flirt somewhere else?" he hissed.

As soon as I'd processed his angry question, I choked. I hadn't realized the waiter had came back with our coffees, but the fact that Kyouya thought I'd flirt openly in front of him had me frowning. I knew I hadn't expressed my newly found feelings, but it still hurt that he had no faith in me. I wasn't even looking in the waiter's general direction before so I didn't know why he even assumed I was making eye contact or anything similar with him.

"K-Kyouya!" I coughed.

Without any emotion in his voice Kyouya said, "Don't call me that."

I was confused at that, I didn't know what he was talking about. It was normal to call others by their given name.

"Why can't I call you by your name, Kyouya?"

All I got as an answer was a death threat. "I'll bite you to death."

I chuckled to myself before saying, "I didn't know you were into that." All I was thinking at that moment was how wonderful it might be to be bitten by Kyouya—he'd probably start around the neck and slowly work his way down. I smiled.

"Hn?" I heard.

"Nothing, nothing," I laughed; I liked the image in my head. If I had explained it I was sure it would have been gone for good.

I saw Kyouya leaving out of the corner of my eye and immediately put down enough money to pay for our meals. I ran after him, trying not to lose him. I tried to stop him several times, but he kept getting away. He never looked back at my face and I was feeling pangs of sadness.

As the blood rose to my cheeks, I coughed. I didn't want to think about the kiss again, I knew I'd have a problem down there. I was shaking from staying outside for so long. I didn't even know how long I'd stayed outside for, but I decided I was stupid for staying on the floor. I opened the door to the apartment quickly whilst checking my wounds again to see if they were bleeding. I was in luck, the bleeding had completely stopped but there was a tender cut on my lip and tongue. I grimaced when I thought about how much they would sting when I ate or had a drink. I made my way to my room without sending a glance towards the kitchen or Kyouya's bedroom—I needed to think.

My clothes were discarded until I was only in my boxers. I settled myself into the bed quickly, trying to make myself go to sleep. My mind was in a mess and I wanted nothing more than to understand all my thoughts. I knew at that point I had a crush on Kyouya, but I was feeling lust towards him. I knew it was wrong, but my body just seemed to respond. Just thinking about him had made my body react. I groaned as I felt the heat slowly travel downwards until I felt the throbbing. Shaking my head, I slowly slipped my hand under the waistband and wrapped my hand cautiously around my member. The low temperature of my hand felt odd against my skin—it was making me shudder involuntarily. As I slowly started pumping myself, the image of Kyouya jumped into my mind.

The image was from my first dream with him in it; where he was on his back with a flushed face, an arm covering his eyes and his mouth open whilst he was panting.

_Shit._

"Ah." I increased my pace. "A-ah."

I remembered his face after I'd first kissed him—where his cheeks was tinged scarlet whilst his eyes were glossy with moisture, making his silver irides shimmer. I felt myself start to pant as the pre-cum started to drip into my hand. I bit down onto my lip as I curled my hand around more, trying to find a more comfortable position.

When the image of Kyouya twisting his hand in my hair before pulling me down for a kiss came to my attention, I could feel my face burning.

"Nnn―" I pumped myself faster, hoping to find a release. I hated the fact I couldn't stop the images playing in my head, it was like my own private cinema. I hated every second of it, but I loved it as well. The sensations were making my face blush even more and I still had my thoughts drifting back to him. I started to writhe slightly, I felt myself getting close to my release. I bit down on my lip even harder than before, trying to muffle my moaning. Even if the thought of Kyouya walking into my room at that moment had me twitching in excitement, I knew it was a bad idea. I didn't have a clue about how loud I was being either. I couldn't even imagine how awkward it would be for him to randomly walk in. Slamming my eyes shut, my breathing hitch as my hand glided against my arousal.

_Kyouya. _I scrunched my face up whilst the image of him blushing appeared. He did it at random times, even when it was unnecessary. _Adorable. _

"Ahh―" I moaned. I jerked forward as I felt my hands covered in the warm liquid, the same liquid that I was staring at in disbelief less than a minute later. I leant back whilst panting, trying to regain my breath. I bit down even harder on my lip, gingerly avoiding the cut that Kyouya had given me.

When I finally realized what I'd just done, I grimaced. I knew I was doomed—I doubted normal males my age had feelings like this for a minor.

I scrunched my eyes up before muttering, "I'm sick."

_So sick._


	9. Sweeteners

**alguien22792:** I'm glad Dino's reaction was how you imagined. **I Like To Stalk You:** I didn't want to make him evil like that. **azel-chan: **I'm so glad you liked how I did him! It was so hard~ F: Still can't believe I forgot about Hibird. **fuwacchi: **Lazy lazy lazy. **18PlusForMe: **Holy freakin' crap. I made you like D18? L:

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter nine—Sweeteners

**HPOV**

"I don't want to talk," I hissed.

Even though I'd said that in such a hateful tone, he didn't seem the least bit affected by it. If anything, it made his smile broader on his face. I felt the urge to punch him but decided to save that for a later time. I still had my tonfas in my hands at that moment and was definitely going to put them to use.

"And why is that?" Pineapple laughed.

I left my eye twitch at his laugh, it wasn't the situation where he could do such a thing. I already had a weapon in my hand and it was almost itching to be in his face. I stepped forward a step, seeing whether he'd run away or keep the smile on his face. My eyes narrowed when I noticed it decreased a tiny fraction, but not enough to satisfy me. I moved my left tonfa quickly, aiming to smash it into his jaw. I growled slightly when I saw he'd moved out of the way—he jumped back at just the right moment. My growling increased when he wrapped his hand around my left tonfa. I didn't know what he was trying to do, but it was ridiculous. I raised my right leg to kick him in the stomach and was rewarded with the gasp he emitted. I smirked to myself before adding enough force to make him stagger backwards.

He roughly threw my phone at me and I had to drop my tonfa to catch it,I couldn't let it smash into the ground. I didn't know when I'd get a message from my mother saying I could kick Cavallone out yet. I clumsily caught it whilst cursing under my breath. My other tonfa was still in his hand and I could see out of the corner of my eye that the smirk was still present on his face.

Before I could even comprehend what had happened, I felt something wet on my cheek. I blinked and saw a flash of blue in my vision before Pineapple started running away in the opposite direction. I swore he was lifting his legs up higher than necessary too. I furrowed my eyebrows slightly, trying to think over what had just happened. Pineapple had said he wanted to talk but he'd done nothing of the sort. I frowned as I remembered he'd caught my tonfa. Normally, people didn't catch it and it went flying into their jaw making them speechless. If I caught sight of him again I was definitely going to fight him. I wasn't going to announce it or plan, I'd simply slam a tonfa or my fist into him when I saw him.

Before I got up, I shook my head to get myself back to a good state of mind. I looked up at the sky quickly and noted it was definitely past dawn. I didn't know long I'd sitting outside or glaring at Pineapple but it definitely lifted my mood. I wanted to punch someone at that moment, so I thought of nothing better to do than to patrol the school. I walked through the streets quickly, trying to ignore the stares that were directed my way. I looked through the alleyways as I passed trying to spot any delinquents that might have been dwelling inside. I grunted when I went past the fifth alleyway, there were none at all. The only people in sight were either adults rushing to work in their suits that were too tight or parents are their young children.

As soon as I entered the school entrance, I felt a flood of emotions overcome my senses. I blinked against the feeling, it felt like I had a thunderstorm permanently over my head. Shaking my head, I opened the front door and walked inside. I couldn't hear any noises or footsteps from inside so I assumed it was empty. I strolled inside whilst putting my hands in my pockets. My fingers brushed against my phone and I immediately stiffened. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed that Pineapple had stolen it. I was too lazy to actually search my room for it. I was cursing under my breath about the fact I didn't even notice him put it in his pocket or swipe it from mine. I either got groped without paying attention or that Pineapple was a damn good thief.

The mention of groping inside my mind reminded me of last night. I knew my actions were out of control and I probably got carried away with the situation, but the act that Cavallone had the nerve to _mate _with someone in my apartment was infuriating. I felt like he saw me as a little kid, like I wasn't a threat. I needed to fix that immediately. I didn't like being overlooked, even when I was younger. I kicked the door beside me and immediately felt bad when I saw it left a dent. I removed my foot and crouched down at it. It wasn't that bad, the door wasn't going to crumble at any moment. It just looked out of place. I prodded it quickly, trying to see how weak the material was. Once I was satisfied that it didn't land on the floor looking slightly like rubble, I stood up and started walking down the hallway again.

As soon as I'd forced open the door to the reception room I immediately hit was a cold gust of wind. I shivered before moving towards the window. I didn't realize I'd left it open from Friday. My eyes widened a fraction when something small landed in my hair. I hesitantly raised my hand, feeling bad about the fact I'd forgotten about him. I hadn't seen Hibird for days. I was sure he'd been eating though—there were other sources of food from the bread or seeds I gave him. He might be a thief and steal other birds' food. I smirked a little at the thought. If he did such a thing my behaviour was definitely rubbing off on him over the years. I stroked his head quickly whilst he nuzzled into my hair. It was strange without him randomly flying on me every day.

With a small smile on my face, I walked out of the door. I let the smile slip as I strolled around the school looking for any signs of people. It wasn't the most comforting thing to do when I was mixed up in the head, but it was better than nothing. I had no desire to read any books.

For an hour, I walked around aimlessly. I didn't care if I had already been done the corridor; I simply carried on walking like I was supposed to turn up there. I saw no traces of anyone. There weren't any belongings left behind by any idiots or anything remotely similar. My pocket vibrated after a few minutes and I jumped a little. I hadn't expected anything like that so I immediately narrowed my eyes when I reached to retrieve my phone.

I flipped it open and quickly glanced at the text. I raised a curious eyebrow at what it said.

_You look quite lonely. Are you sure you like being by yourself? –M._

The delete button was pressed swiftly before I started pinching the bridge of my nose. I didn't have a clue who it was from, I didn't recognize the number or even the initial 'm'. Loads of people had the letter m, but I doubted whether they had my number. I didn't give my number out to anyone. The only person who had my phone number from school would be Kusakabe. He never text me, but I simply ordered him through it. It was that simple. I quickly shook my head before deciding I was done patrolling for now. I wasn't in the mood for walking around aimlessly anymore. I walked through the streets again, simply looking ahead at where I was going. I ignored the strong gusts of wind that kept coming and thought about what I wanted to do for today.

Checking for herbivores was definitely out. I hadn't seen anyone so far. I could always tell Kusakabe to tell me if any appeared—that seemed like a good idea. Patrolling the school was already done. I could go back there in a few hours, but it would still be the same if I turned around now. I didn't have any new books to read and I didn't want to go in that store for awhile. I shuddered a little at the thought of seeing Pineapple again. I didn't want to sit around and drink coffee anywhere. More than anything, I just wanted to be back in my apartment. I gritted my teeth at the thought of Cavallone and his girlfriend still in my apartment. I needed to kick them out. I was definitely going to, but I needed something to occupy my time for the rest of my day first.

As I was walking through the shopping district, the video rental shop caught my eye. I barely ever watched television, so that meant I wasn't up to date with movies. I didn't watch them much, but I was in the mood to watch a gore fest. I smirked a little at the thought and quickly strolled towards the shop. I made sure to look through the window quickly to see how many people were in there. If it was crowed, I had internally decided not to step inside and simply carry on walking. I huffed a little when I saw there was no on inside, just the employee. I opened the door and glared at the handle when it squeaked. It was nice to have a door to open, it seemed all the shops lately had automatic doors. I didn't like the noises or the fact they opened by accident sometimes. Manual doors were definitely the best. I was hit with the scent of over sweetened carbonated drinks and chocolate—I wouldn't have chosen the smell to act as an air freshener in my life. I wrinkled my nose before moving around the aisles. I wasn't looking for the popular movie of the month, but simply something that was full of blood and violence. I spied a cover with blood stains across it and narrowed my eyes slightly. I didn't know whether or not it would be good, but I picked it up to inspect.

From the reviews and comments written on the back, I gathered it was definitely full of blood and guts. I nodded to myself before making my way to the counter. The employee behind it wasn't looking my way, but at a small television screen that was located on the wall to the right. I slammed the movie down on the counter trying to catch his attention. I wrinkled my nose in distaste when I smelt him as he moved. He definitely hadn't showered in a few days and smelt absolutely awful. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible—I felt myself beginning to gag. I didn't see how anyone could be happy with themselves when they had sweat soaked into their skin and greasy hair. Shuddering to myself, I noticed that he didn't glance at me. Instead he looked down at the movie before shaking his head.

I narrowed my eyes as he said, "Sorry, kid. This is for adults."

I felt my blood boiling at that comment. _Kid? I look like a fucking kid? _I wasn't five feet tall—I was just above average height. In no way whatsoever I looked like a kid. I wasn't slight either. I huffed internally before coughing slightly, making the male look up properly to see me for the first time. I quirked an eyebrow as I saw his eyes widen before he hastily put the movie in his hands.

"O-on the house, Hibari-san," he squeaked.

_That's better._ That was the response I wanted the first time. I still didn't like the fact he thought he could get away with insulting me immediately, but I yawned before anger could take over my features. I blinked in surprise at the fact I was tired, it was understandable, but I didn't see that coming at all. I shook my head before leaving the door with the male behind the counter practically hyperventilating. I hadn't done anything to him, I had simply yawned. _My yawns must be terrifying. _I smirked at the thought, I'd never seen in my life a yawn that could make people cower in fear.

As I had almost exited the shopping district, I caught a smell of something in the air. I sniffed slightly, trying to identify it. It smelt sweet and I immediately scrunched my nose up at the sensation. I didn't like sweet things often, but for some reason I felt my mouth dry. I begrudgingly stepped inside the bakery and almost sighed in relief that there weren't many people inside, just a little kid buying a cake at the counter. I blinked at the sight; it was easy to tell he'd drop it at any minute. I could see his frail arms tremble as he attempted to hold it. I saw his mother appear out of the blue and grip the cake in her hands whilst placing him on her hip. With that done, she happily walked out of the shop. I was slightly surprised by the affection they showed in public, but decided to brush it off my mind quickly. I ordered a random dessert from the display, paid and accepted the bag in less than a minute.

After that, I practically power walked home. More than anything at that moment, I simply wanted to sit down. I opened the door to the apartment complex and hesitated a little. My walking pace slowed down as I furrowed my eyebrows. _How exactly am I going to get Cavallone to kick his girlfriend out? _I didn't have the option of being blunt. Blunt would come across as rude and then Cavallone would probably leave.

That would mean no rent.

I gritted my teeth whilst I walked up the stairs. I tried to ignore the creaks they made as I took another step but they were just making my head throb. I groaned out loud when I realized my headache with coming back. I hadn't had one since I first met Pineapple. I rubbed my free hand against my forehead as I climbed the last step. I was thankful I didn't have to walk up anymore. I didn't think I could handle hearing anymore of the creaks, I would've probably gone insane. I cautiously opened the door the apartment, straining to hear any noises as I stepped inside. I couldn't hear anyone and almost laughed in relief. I caught myself at the last minute and quickly shook my head. I closed the door behind me, slipped off my shoes and started to walk towards the living room. I still couldn't see Cavallone anywhere and there weren't any noises coming from his bedroom. I internally thanked the heavens for that—I didn't need another choking fit.

The movie and the random pastry were placed on the coffee table as I went towards the kitchen. I still felt awful about forgetting Hibird. I remembered the seeded bread I brought the other day and immediately picked a slice up. I got a small bowl out of the cupboard and ripped the bread up into pieces and put it inside. With the bowl in hand I opened the living room window and placed it on the window sill. That way, Hibird could have any whenever he wanted. I frowned when I realized he hadn't been inside for over two days. He could have been, but I hadn't seen him. After I'd put the movie on, I settled myself down on the couch. I didn't exactly know what I was in for but I knew for a fact I wasn't going to jump. I never jumped when I watched horror films—more than anything, they were humorous.

The opening finally came on and I found myself smirking at the screen. Within at least five minutes there were already two people dead and a healthy amount of blood scattered around. I mentally patted myself on the back for choosing something full of gore. For all I knew, this could have been an awful film that had about two minutes worth of bloody action. After the opening was finally over with everyone dead, the throbbing in my head increased. I winced whilst pulling my legs up on my sofa. I pulled them to my chest and rested my chin on top whilst moving my hand to massage my temple. It certainly wasn't a nice feeling but it wasn't as bad as a few days ago. This was bearable and I didn't feel like I was going to lose consciousness anytime soon. I massaged my forehead for at least five minutes before the pain finally dulled. I breathed a sigh in relief, I leant back against the sofa and closed my eyes briefly. It felt to be finally rid of it.

My stomach grumbled and I sent an incredulous glare down at it. It wasn't exactly good timing, it was roughly half way through the movie where it was finally picking up. There were going to be helpless victims again at any second. I cursed under my breath before grabbing the nearest food to where I was sitting, it happened to be the pastry I had brought earlier. I unwrapped the pastry cautiously, trying to see what exactly it was. All I could see in the shop was that it looked slightly flaky. Now that I was looking closer at it, I felt myself stiffen. I could see there was sugar coating it and in the middle there was cream, slowly oozing onto the outside. I hadn't paid enough attention; I knew I was never going to finish this. I barely ever had any sweet and this was definitely going to be packed with sweetness. I grimaced to myself before proceeding to nibble on the pastry. I didn't want to eat the cream straight away. If anything, I needed to prepare myself before doing that. It seemed childish, almost like I was saving the best bit for last—I was actually saving the worst bit for last. I stared at the screen whilst laying my free arm down across my stomach. I was still leaning back and had my legs up. It was a comfy position and I swore if I wasn't paying attention to the movie at that moment I would have fallen asleep.

As soon as I'd eaten at least a quarter of the pastry, I knew I'd have to eat some of the cream, I couldn't leave it until it went all over my hands. I shuddered slightly at the thought; I knew it would feel horrible and would be nasty to get off. I hesitantly licked the cream and tasted it. It certainly was sweet, but there wasn't any extra sugar added. I almost smiled at that. It was tolerable and actually tasted pretty good. I knew I wouldn't have sweets again for at least a few months so I decided to make the most of it. I was still nibbling with an almost smile on my face watching the horror film when I felt the sofa sink down beside me. I stiffened slightly, but pretended nothing had happened. I could feel that someone was beside me and I immediately knew who it was. His girlfriend wouldn't have been stupid enough to sit next to me right off the bat. I huffed a little before continuing to munch away at the pastry. I had almost finished it. I tried to pay attention to the mindless killing that was on the screen at that moment, but I could only hear him breathing beside me. I quickly finished the pastry before licking my fingers clean. They were covered with sugar so when I'd finished, I grimaced. I heard a chuckle beside me and I let a scowl settle on my face. It was annoying to hear him laugh like he didn't have a care in the world.

When I felt something wet on my cheek, I blinked in bewilderment. It felt oddly similar and I found myself furrowing my eyebrows at the sensation, trying to place where I'd felt it before. I curiously turned around and met a sight I didn't want to see. Cavallone was licking his lips whilst looking at my cheek—I was happy to see there was a cut across his lower lip—I found it odd that it was where the wet feeling was a few moments ago.

_He licked_ _me? That's wrong on many levels._ I felt my eyes widen when I realized where I'd felt that before; Pineapple before he'd disappeared in the morning. _I've been licked twice in one day. What the hell is going on? _I clenched my hands into fists before facing Cavallone fully. I growled before moving to punch him in the face. I was just about to make contact when he grabbed my right wrist in his hand. Moments ago I could literally feel his skin by my knuckles, but now nothing. I cursed under my breath before moving with my left one. I was satisfied when it came into contact with his cheek. I wasn't quick enough to remove my hand, before I could even so much as blink; he'd grasp that wrist as well. I glared at the sight, it was definitely familiar.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hissed.

He quirked an eyebrow before answering, "I was just trying to sit with you and yet you randomly punch me out of nowhere. I'm just trying to coax you into being polite."

My eyes narrowed at that. "I believe you were rude first."

"Oh?" He smirked.

"Yes," I replied flatly. I attempted to tug my wrists out of his grasp, but they wouldn't budge. I glared down at them. I definitely appeared weak again, I simply didn't expect him to try this again. I thought he'd learnt his lesson last night.

"Hey, Kyouya," he drawled out my name making me cringe inside. The only answer I gave him was a glare. I saw him visibly sigh—his chest went up a fair amount. It didn't help I could practically see it hanging out. From what I could see he was wearing a pair of jeans and a button up shirt. It wasn't buttoned up all the way through, leaving a view of his chest. I glared down at it, thinking about that it was probably his girlfriend making him wear it. I found myself blinking and wondering why I just thought about that; it was the fact he was wearing something that _flamboyant_, not that his girlfriend had chose it. I quickly shook my head trying to clear it out. I mentally cursed at the pastry I had eaten a few minutes ago, it was definitely having side effects with my body. "Like what you see?" I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Hn?" I flashed a fierce glare at his face quickly, trying to warn him that if he explained his question, he'd probably be missing a tooth in the morning. _His pretty little girlfriend wouldn't like that. _I smirked at the thought of him freaking out about it. It definitely was a nice thing to think about, it actually made me forget about the current situation.

I was brought back to the present when I felt Cavallone move forward. He harshly moved my wrists so they were above my head. I quirked an eyebrow at the movement, not exactly understanding what he was doing. My eyebrow completely lost its arch when I felt Cavallone push me down. I mentally cursed at the fact I was now on my back and he was towering above me with my wrists above my head in his hands. _Well, at least I know what he wanted to do now._

He grinned broadly before saying, "You were staring at my chest pretty intensely."

I simply raised both of my eyebrows—careful not to let them fall this time—and coolly answered, "You're dressed rather ostentatiously."

His smile got larger for some reason, I narrowed my eyes into slits at it. I was sure my comment was insulting and I was slowly starting to wonder if Cavallone needed to see someone about his mind. My insults never seemed to work; in fact they always made him smile brighter. _Do I need to use reverse psychology? _I pondered the idea for a moment before quickly kicking it to the back of my mind. I was sure if I did anything of the sort at that moment I'd end up being groped. I involuntarily shuddered and it seemed to draw Cavallone's attention. I could hear him breathing above me and I definitely needed to take action. He seemed to be getting closer as the seconds passed by painfully slow. I could still hear the horror film behind us, but I could barely make out what was being said. It might as well have been a foreign language to me, I couldn't see it or understand what was happening. The only things I could look at were either Cavallone or the ceiling. I knew it would be a bad idea to go with the latter so I begrudgingly glared at him.

His smile grew softer as he finally realized I'd given up looking away. I wanted to quirk my eyebrow at that moment but I had to fight the urge not to let my mouth hang open at that moment. He was looking at me with the most ridiculous expression on his face, I couldn't even comprehend what it meant. I just knew he shouldn't have been looking at me in that way. I had to grit my teeth in an attempt to keep myself under control. It certainly wasn't satisfying being pinned down on a sofa by a male who probably possessed very deep mental issues.

"Kyouya," he murmured. I could barely make out what he was saying, but by that point in time I could tell by the way his mouth moved that it was my name he was muttering. I narrowed my eyes and pointedly glared at his lips.

Before I could blink, Cavallone had changed positions. I could feel his right leg move to rest in between mine and I squirmed slightly with discomfort. He was too close to me. His arms were still above my head holding onto my wrists, but his head had moved. I could feel it resting on the flesh between my right shoulder and my neck. I felt myself stiffen from the sudden contact and had to bite my tongue when I felt him gently nuzzle my skin. I blinked furiously in an attempt to get myself under control. It seemed Cavallone had taken my defencelessness as a signal that he could enter my personal bubble again, I could feel his breath splashing across my neck at that moment and it was making me feel hotter than I really was. I shuddered involuntarily again as I felt his chest move down to press against mine. I could feel his heartbeat through his barely-there clothes and inwardly cursed. The position we were in was beyond awkward and I had no way out of it except to suck up my pride and expertly knee him in the groin. I winced slightly and decided it was too harsh a thing to do—I could probably think of something else. I inwardly yelped when I felt his teeth lightly graze my neck. My body stiffened whilst my mind kicked into overdrive while thinking of ways to get rid of him. I was getting extremely worried about my virginity at that moment.

"Get off," I growled.

I felt him nibble on my skin slightly before licking the flesh where his teeth were seconds ago. I stiffened ever more from the warm sensation. I could feel him smirk against my skin before he moved onto sucking that piece of flesh. I gasped inside my mind at the feeling, it certainly wasn't anything I wanted. I could feel my skin moving up to meet his lips and I inwardly shuddered. I couldn't head butt him at the angle we were in. If anything, the only non cowardly action I could take at that moment was slamming my chin into his head. That was bound to bruise me more than him, so I quickly kicked it out of my mind. I blinked several times whilst Cavallone continued nipping and gently sucking at my neck. I had to grit my teeth to keep myself under control at that moment. It was an onslaught of emotions in less than a minute. I hadn't had anyone practically eating my neck before so I didn't particularly understand what was going on. My eyes widened when I had to bite down on my tongue to restrain a moan from making its way out of my throat. I panicked inside my mind at how to get him off, I was _not _going to be emitting the same sounds his girlfriend did for him.

"Cavallone?" I called. I got a muffled grunt from my neck as an answer—I guessed that was all I was going to get. "I'll bite you to death."

Before he had a chance to react, I pulled my right leg up from underneath him and slammed my knee into his stomach. I was rewarded with a painful gasp and he detached his lips from my neck. I was slightly smirking at the fact it worked, but it only moved his body back a few centimetres. The grip on my wrists was still as tight as before and his leg was still in between mine.

"That wasn't a bite," he muttered. I noticed his lack of breath at that moment and I did a mental happy dance. I really did catch him by surprise. "What was that for?" Cavallone moved his head to a different angle so I could clearly see his face now. Before his bangs were covering his eyes making it difficult to see his expression, I could see his eyes were wide this time and felt myself stiffen when I saw the pink decorating his cheeks.

I hoped I never looked like that in my life—it would be degrading.

I simply raised my eyebrows slightly before spitting out, "Get off of me."

I bit down on my tongue when I saw him smirk again. I didn't know what he was going to do, but I had the feeling I wouldn't like it. He moved his body down to press against mine again, but this time his head didn't go to the flesh between my shoulder and my neck. Instead, he was barely two centimetres away from my face, staring down at me. I tried to muster up my fiercest glare but it quickly became a panicked expression when I felt something gently brush against my groin. I hated the fact I let him see I was panicking, but it was completely understandable. Whilst we were in this position the only way I could hurt him was either by head butting him or biting. Head butting would mean I'd have a similar bruise marring my skin, while biting would mean I'd win completely. I cursed inwardly at the fact I couldn't bite him properly at this angle.

"What do you want?" I spat.

His smile slowly turned sad and I found myself blinking at it, I hadn't expected that reaction in any way. I thought it would be more along the lines of 'I'm just trying to torture you slowly.' I mentally kicked myself in the face and tried to get my composure back. I knew it wasn't working out well because I could still see his eyes were wide and staring down at my face. His leg brushed against me again and I had to bite down on my tongue to stop myself emitting any noises. It had to be sexual harassment at that stage. Cavallone had finally gone a step too far. If it was going to be like this in the future, I'd gladly bite his lip daily. I was shaking with anger at that point and I still could do _nothing _to get out of the position.

It seemed like the only way was exactly how I did it last night. I begrudgingly looked up at his face and waited to see what he would do. I didn't know what sort of expression I had on my face, but whatever it was seemed to make Cavallone react. He destroyed our lack of distance and gently placed his lips at the side of my mouth. I mentally cursed inside my head but I knew it would distract him long enough that I could inflict pain. I could feel him slowly making his way to my bottom lip and I found myself growling at his slow pace. I wanted to get this over and done with, but he obviously knew he wasn't going to get this again anytime soon.

He gently brushed his lips against mine and I frowned at the feeling. He wasn't being aggressive or anything remotely similar, he was treating me like I'd break at any moment. He carried on doing that for a few seconds before he got impatient. He sucked my bottom lip quickly and I made no move to kiss him back at that point. I needed to catch him off guard and probably put him in the hospital. I felt him slowly scrape his tongue across my lip and I bit down on my own before opening my mouth. It wasn't a heated kiss still—he was tenderly wrapping his tongue around my own and rubbing. I felt myself growl before trying to coax him to make it rougher. It wouldn't work to my advantage if he was treating me like a china doll. My growl seemed to work. After a few seconds, he started moving at an urgent pace. I found myself titling my head up to get a better angle and ignoring my need for air. I could feel my face was heating up and it was most likely due to the lack of oxygen.

"A-ah." I inwardly cursed when I felt a moan make itself out of my throat when he rubbed against a sensitive part inside my mouth. We pulled apart after that and I tried again to ignore the trail of saliva that was bonding us together. I frowned a little before continuing to breathe harshly, trying to regain my breath. I closed my eyes quickly due to the fact they were stinging. I felt Cavallone kiss me again I opened my mouth without hesitation. I could hear him moan into the kiss this time and I inwardly smirked. As I roughly rubbed my tongue against his, I tugged on my arms trying to see whether they were going to be loose anytime soon. For some reason or another, I hadn't noticed that he had basically removed all of his grip around them. His hands were simply lying on top of my wrists at that point and I mentally happy danced. I felt Cavallone brush against my groin again and I gasped a little before mentally kicking myself. "Ah!" I couldn't believe I really was emitting the same noises his girlfriend did for him, but I was completely caught off guard.

Before whatever we were doing could get out of hand, I roughly pulled my arms down and pushed Cavallone off of me. I was happy when I saw his face contort with shock before he fell backwards onto the sofa. I switched our positions quickly and moved so I was on top of him. I was disgusted with myself for doing such a thing, but it was necessary at that moment. I moved my left hand to tangle itself into his hair whilst my other went behind my back. As I fingered with the tonfa within my pocket, I gently leaned my face in whilst displaying no emotions on it. I saw Cavallone blink harshly before letting a smile frame his mouth. I moved my left hand into a fist and pulled on some of his hair before moving a tonfa out of my jacket. I let a smirk play on my lips before I harshly hit his face with it several times. With each hit I was rewarded with a painful hiss and I was rejoicing at that moment. I could see there was blood coming out of his mouth and he most likely had a nosebleed, but the thing that made me the happiest was the fact he'd probably have a rather black eye tomorrow. I smiled before moving myself off of him and getting up from the sofa. I put up with his antics for long enough; it was about time I messed up his face and made him spit blood. I stood in front of the coffee table and stared down at him on the sofa. He had his hands on his face, inspecting the wounds with a curious expression on his face. He wasn't grimacing or letting any more sounds escape his lips and I felt myself arch an eyebrow. It wasn't the usual reaction I got when I made someone bleed.

"Cavallone?" I called.

He locked up with a shocked expression on his face. I could see that his mouth was slightly open and I almost started laughing about the fact blood was dripping out of it with each passing second. He didn't seem aware of it at all.

"Don't invite your girlfriend here anymore," I hissed before turning around and walking away. I didn't hear any sound from him as an answer, but I did hear him start coughing. I had to move a hand to my mouth to stifle my laughter—Cavallone really did have mental problems. I pondered whether to make an appointment for him, but quickly decided against it. If he simply stayed away from me in fear I wouldn't have any entertainment. I could hear the movie in the background but found myself not caring. I opened the door to my bedroom quickly and slammed it just as fast. I sat myself down on the bed before my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I quirked an eyebrow quickly before sliding it open.

_Your little yellow friend is entertaining. –M._

I arched an eyebrow in question, wondering who was still texting me. Whoever it was had either witnessed the scene between Cavallone and I—which I highly doubted—or was referring to Hibird. I blinked at the thought of Hibird. It was quite possible he'd attached himself to someone else temporarily. He hadn't stayed with me permanently over all the years, but came back most of the time. It seemed he kept me closest to him but liked the experience a change every now and then. I frowned before nodding my head slightly—I knew one thing at that point. I didn't approve of his new friend.


	10. Affection

**18PlusForMe:** Damn right licked would've been better. Licking is amazing. C: Is the stalker hint a bit too much? Kekeke, awkward situations for Dino~ **azel-chan:** I couldn't think of anything else apart from Pineapple! I know it's overused, but it's damn appropriate. I want to lick Kyouya, don't you? :3 I'm not planning on adding 6918! It just kind of turned out that way. Kyouya is practically Hibird's dad, of course he gets to disapprove. **I Like To Stalk You:** Mhmm, correct. He simply stole Kyouya's number and then returned the phone in his own gay way. Typos add character! **alguien22792: **I swear Kyouya has a flashing arrow above his head that reads 'Molest me, please.' **fuwacchi:** Ohoho, I'm glad you liked it. **Ninjabandgeek: **I love you too. You can marry this story if it's a shotgun wedding~ C:

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter ten—Affection

**DPOV**

As my eyes followed Kyouya exiting the room, I let out a low hiss. I could feel the blood trailing down my face—and most likely staining my cheek in the process—but I couldn't bring myself to care at that moment. I furrowed my eyebrows as I tried to think about what Kyouya had practically spat out before he dramatically left the room. I had half expected him to disappear into a blast of smoke, but maybe he was saving that trick for later. I clumsily lifted my hand up to wipe the liquid that was collecting by my mouth. It wasn't a nice feeling and it was definitely distracting me from my thoughts. Kyouya had ordered me, but the thing I didn't understand was the content. 'Don't invite your girlfriend here anymore.' That's what he'd spat out before leaving, but there was a problem.

I hadn't had any women here.

There had been no women in the living room or even my room, there hadn't been any females trailing along after me since I'd been in Namimori. Heck, the only woman I've spoken to had been Nana. If I was back in Italy it would have been understandable, I probably would've had a few. Sometimes if I was extremely unlucky, I would get marriage proposals thrown in my face. Every time the word marriage was uttered by a female in front of me, it left a sour taste in my mouth. I always knew they didn't want me, but my position. I let a grimace frame my face as I thought about my past experiences with females, they were definitely not the greatest moments of my life. I'd had a few girlfriends in my life, but none of them had been completely serious. They'd always left in a similar way; either in the middle of a tantrum or had simply given up on our 'relationship'. The reasons always switched between the two and that was it. I was genuinely surprised that I'd never had the 'It's not you, it's me' excuse, I'd heard it used by many people. Whenever they left my life in a storm a frown was always featuring on my face.

I had my first girlfriend throughout my middle school years, it could barely even be accounted for. She was immature and could hardly give me a minute of peace. She'd only received my first kiss. Nothing more and nothing less. My first serious girlfriend was quite a few years later. It was during my last year of high school, it was during the period of my life where I was training to become a mafia boss. I'd never let it slip to her what I was going through. I made it so I was never drunk around her; I was sure if I was, I'd accidently blurt something out and she'd get involved. I cared about her enough to worry about her safety. I'd given her my virginity within a few months of dating and I'd felt like our relationship was fine. Apparently, that was only on my end. She'd thrown a tantrum after a year and a half of dating, saying that she'd only put up with me because of her father's orders. She'd been dating her real boyfriend in her free time. I'd been played by the daughter of a rival mafia boss and that made me absolutely hate myself for a few weeks. I remembered I was in shock for a few days. I withdrew myself from everyone, hardly talking for more than a sentence a day for at least two days. I felt awful about it, but I didn't know how to react. Tsunayoshi had been the one to kick me out of my depressive and absolutely distraught state. I had barely seen him whilst I was younger, so when he came to Italy to visit I was surprised. He was a naïve child who was barely nine years old. He had taken one look at my face after he'd came running into my room before he clasped my hands with his own. I remembered blinking in shock before looking down into his wide eyes. They were brimming with tears as he simply stared into my own. He gently tightened his grip on my hand and said, 'You'll get your happy ending someday.'. It was definitely a childish way to cheer someone up, but it made me realize I was being over dramatic. I was still young—I had time for mistakes and I realized I could simply learn from them.

I had two more girlfriends after that, but they seemed purely physical. I didn't involve them with the mafia and they only seemed to care about money. The only feelings attached to those relationships were those of lust. I'd never seriously thought I was in love with someone ever.

It was undeniable that I had a crush on Kyouya. It didn't matter to be that I'd only known him roughly five days. Whenever he was around, I could hardly contain myself. I couldn't hate his love towards violence—the stories that Tsuna had told me about him merely made me adore Kyouya more. He had a strong sense of justice, but it was usually misunderstood for mindless violence. I could completely understand that due to the fact he never explains himself. Even if he enjoyed making people scream in pain I still appreciated Kyouya. He had his odd habits too. Since I'd been living with him, I'd barely seen him for long periods of time. I had come to notice a few things about him when I did spy him though.

Kyouya barely ever let the emotions he was experiencing show on his face. The only visible thing that changed most of the time was his mouth. Usually he had a frown featuring on it, but a scowl sometimes made its way on there. I'd noticed his eye tended to twitch slightly when he was absorbed in his thoughts. Kyouya's emotions were always present in his obsidian eyes though—I could see them widen the tiniest amount and glisten with anger. It was odd, but it was strangely cute. I couldn't help but let a smile frame my face whenever I saw the slightest flicker of emotion on his face or when he frowned up at me. I didn't care about the death glares that were directed at me either, I loved the fact he acknowledged me most of the time.

The best thing I'd noticed the last few days would be his growl. _Holy freaking hell, that growl. _I barely ever heard people growl, but I couldn't help myself imagining hearing it in a different situation. I was sure it was supposed to be threatening, but it made me think of Kyouya like a large kitten. Kyouya acted high and mighty whenever I looked at him, but when I took a step too many and entered his personal space, I could see him panic. I always saw the flash of horror which would flicker through his eyes and then the growl came out of his throat. When I saw them two things combined, I lost myself to desire. I had practically forced myself on Kyouya, but when I saw his face when I'd gently brushed my knee against his member, it had fuelled me. I didn't know whether he realized it himself, but I saw the blood that rushed to his face. I saw his face contort itself with a mixture of shock and pleasure. When I'd gently brushed my lips against his and felt the subtle tingling and the lack of rejection on his end, I almost laughed in relief. I had tried to kiss Kyouya tenderly, to show him I wasn't fooling around and in return I received several violent bruises on my face and a black eye.

I gingerly looked down at the blood that was staining my hands before cursing under my breath at whatever Kyouya had been eating. It was the damn cream's fault that I was dripping with my own blood at that moment. It was an adorable sight to see Kyouya finish off his food without realizing he had cream on his cheek. Before I could restrain myself, I'd leant forward and gently licked it off of his face.

The bruises were definitely worth it.

A chuckle escaped my lips before I practically sprinted towards the kitchen. I searched through the cupboards quickly trying to find the medical kit or even just a rag to wipe my wounds with. After looking through at least five cupboards, I sighed before swinging open the last door. After I'd blinked, I realized that there in all its green glory was the medical kit. I did a quick fist pump in the air before dragging the kit out of the cupboard. I made my way back to my room quickly and entered the separate bathroom. I clicked my tongue in disgust at the state of my face. I really did have blood staining my face, but the worst part was the fact that my right eye was swollen. It would probably take awhile for it to de-puff. I soaked a few sheets of toilet paper with water before dabbing at my lips and nose.

After I was satisfied that I'd got most of the blood off, I quickly shook my head before disposing of the tissues. I flushed them down the toilet before making my way back to the kitchen. I had to think for a few minutes—I couldn't remember where exactly I got the medical kit from. I was sure I'd probably get a few grunts in my general direction if I placed it wrongly. I scouted through a few cupboards before I gave up and simply placed the kit at the back of a random one. I straightened up and ran a hand through my hair before trying to decide what to do. It was only around one o'clock and I didn't have any plans for the rest of my day. Tsuna was busy with his friends and Nana said she would be gone shopping all day. I settled myself down on the sofa before finally pulling my cell phone out of my pocket. I hadn't called Romario to check up on how things were Italy since I'd gotten here. It was definitely dangerous to have a break for a few months, but I trusted my subordinates enough. I bit my lip after I'd turned the phone on. I had several messages from Romario, all asking if I was okay and if anything bad had happened yet. He was too worried for his own good. I gulped before dialling the number and pressing the phone against my ear.

He answered after the second ring. "Boss, are you okay?"

It felt strange to switch back to my native tongue. "Absolutely fine Romario. How's everything there?" I chuckled slightly at the panicked tone in his voice.

"Okay. Nothing significant has happened. There was a woman looking for you yesterday."

I cursed inwardly and pinched the bridge of my nose. I should've guessed there was someone looking for me, I hadn't told anyone I was leaving for a few months. I eventually came out with, "What did she want?"

"Dinner with you; we said you were away on business."

_Romario, you're amazing. _"Nice excuse." I laughed.

"I tried my best." I could almost hear the grin that was most likely featuring on his face at that moment.

I heard the door click in front of me. I raised my head up and tuned out whatever Romario was saying at that point to see what was happening. Kyouya was coming out of his room and I could tell from a distance that he was angry, he didn't even glance in my general direction. He simply kept looking forward as he made his way towards the door. I sighed quietly to myself, hating the way I had forced myself on him earlier. I doubted whether he'd look at me for awhile. I felt my chest tighten at the thought of Kyouya ignoring me.

"Hey, Romario?" I hesitantly asked.

"Boss?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose again before I finally asked, "How do you know if you're homosexual?" Instead of an answer, I could hear a coughing fit on the other end of the line. I blinked harshly at the reaction, I hadn't expected anything of the sort. It sounded painful too; I was worried Romario might have been hacking up a lung as the coughing fit surpassed a whole minute. "Romario?" I called.

"I-I think," he coughed. "I misheard you. What did you say, Boss?"

I shut my eyes and sucked up the rest of my pride before repeating myself. "How do you know if you're homosexual?"

"I―I honestly don't know. Have you tried researching?" I could hear him cringe whilst saying researching. That would be an awful and possibly awkward experience, I doubted whether Kyouya had a computer or any books revolving around homosexuality in his home. That would mean I would have to visit an internet café.

_I'd rather not._ "No." I chortled.

"I know it's been a few months since you've had your last girlfriend, but isn't switching teams a bit drastic?" Romario was clearly exasperated at that moment and I let a smile spread across my face.

"Stop jumping to conclusions! I was asking for―" I gulped. "Tsuna." _Yeah, Tsuna. That'll work. _I doubted whether or not Romario would actually buy it—I'd made the excuse up in less than a second.

"I guess he's at that age now." I shot my shot into the air in victory and had to slam my mouth shut so I didn't let out a cry of happiness. That would have definitely given away my lie even more than the panicked tone. I was internally praying that Tsuna didn't meet Romario for a few years, their encounter would be awkward and my excuse would definitely be questioned. Tsuna would be flustered and I'd be there red-handed, trying to defend my own sexuality; half-heartedly.

I didn't have a clue how to break it to Romario that actually was switching teams, for a minor to boot. I grimaced to myself before deciding the cut the phone call short. I didn't have anything else to say and I had to messages to pass on, I knew that everything was fine over there. I could trust them with everything. The grimaced was knocked off my face when I thought about the next few months of freedom I was receiving. It seemed like a freakin' blessing; most of the time I was plagued by meetings or extreme amounts of paperwork.

We exchanged goodbyes quickly and I then proceeded to stuff my phone back into my pocket. I leant back against the sofa whilst placing my hands behind my head. I didn't have any plans for the rest of the day still, the phone call had been my only moment of inspiration. Kyouya had stalked off somewhere and I had no clue when he'd be coming back. I needed to find something to entertain me.

A playful smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I heaved myself off the sofa. I walked towards my bedroom quickly, anticipating what I was going to find probably sprawled in my sheets somewhere. I quietly opened the door and moved my head to peer inside. I couldn't see any movements, but I knew he was lurking somewhere in the shadows. I let a chuckle make its way out of my throat before I looked under the bed. Straight away my eyes met a pair of beady black ones and I felt my smile increase at the sight. Enzo had settled himself down on a blanket. It didn't camouflage him well; the blanket was a bright yellow. I hadn't seen him for awhile, but there was the remains of his food scattered beside him. I was glad I didn't panic and scatter my possessions around the room. He probably would've stayed hidden for a few more hours. I stretched my arms quickly above my head before removing him from his girly blanket.

"How's it going, Enzo?" I smiled.

I only received a noisy breath as an answer. I prodded his head quickly before I placed him in my pocket. I made sure his head was almost poking out, I didn't want to suffocate him dangerously close to my crotch. I didn't think I had a gay turtle so I was trying to avoid being haunted by an angry turtle. _What exactly is there to do? _I hadn't given it much thought before I came here, I didn't add Kyouya into the picture back then. I was now living with him for a few months until I left and within the first day I'd violated him. I'd repeated the same action again on the fifth day.

Kyouya wasn't going to come near me anytime soon and I felt so bored I was twiddling my thumbs. I wasn't used to a lot of free time. I bit down on my lip before I made my way towards the living room. I hadn't seen what Kyouya was watching earlier and he'd left it on in his rage. I blinked at the blue screen before I started searching for the remote. When I couldn't see it anywhere, I looked under the damned coffee table—making sure I didn't fall over in the process—and smiled that I'd found it. Just as I'd grabbed it in my hands, I could hear the door open. I withdrew my hand quickly and fumbled with it, trying to find the power button.

My finger slipped and I accidently pressed a random button. The noise the TV emitted made my face contort with a grimace—it was loud and absolutely dreadful. I turned it off quickly before placing the remote down and turning around to see Kyouya. He'd finally made his way inside and I could hear his feet softly hitting the floor. I gulped as I saw his shoulder around the corner; I wasn't sure what his reaction would be to seeing I was still here. When he'd finally emerged from the entrance, I could see he wasn't angry anymore. Instead, his face had returned to emotionless except the frown that was on his lips. It wasn't incredibly deep, but still a frown, Kyouya was thinking about something. I felt myself blink when he threw a glance in my direction before continuing on his way to the kitchen. I quickly brushed the imaginary dust off my clothes before I made my way to the kitchen. It had taken me awhile to finally glance down at his hands and when I did, I saw he was holding shopping bags. I doubted whether he'd been gone half an hour, but apparently that was enough time to go on a shopping trip. I was going to attempt to take some out of his hands, but he increased his pace when I'd gotten closer. Kyouya settled the bags down on the counter before moving the items to wherever they belonged. I wanted to help, but I had no idea where everything went. I leant back against the wall and crossed my arms over my chest. I continued watching Kyouya packing away—trying to remember the places—but I felt my eyes widen in surprise when I finally saw his face properly. His eyebrows were furrowed and the frown had deepened on his face; he was definitely thinking intensely about something.

"Kyouya?" I called. He simply carried on packing the items away. I didn't see his body tense or anything remotely similar—he was completely ignoring me. I sighed before I removed my right arm from my chest and ran my hand through my hair. I didn't know how to make it up to him; I barely knew anything about him. The silence was growing uncomfortable until I finally came out with, "I'm sorry about earlier."

This time I did get a reaction, I could see Kyouya flinch slightly before turning his body away. I furrowed my eyebrows at his reaction before I took a step forward. As my footsteps practically echoed, I saw Kyouya take a step away as well. I involuntarily raised an eyebrow when he tried to cover his step up by placing another item away. It didn't work well; he had to lean over slightly to get the angle right. Kyouya had a reaction towards me now—it was definitely better than being ignored, but I felt awful about it. It wasn't the type of reaction I ever wanted from him. It was obvious he just wanted me gone. I bit down on my lip as I moved back again and leant back on the wall. I was trying to think how to patch things up with him, I doubted whether he'd go out for dinner again. When I started to hear chirping, saying I was confused would have been an understatement. I blinked fiercely for a few seconds before turning my head around to try and find out the source of the noise. My gaze travelled towards the window and I felt myself my eyes widen. There was a fluffy yellow bird flying towards our general direction. I hadn't seen Kyouya around with it before, so I started to fear for the bird's life.

_Fly away bird! _It was about a foot away from me now, but the bird's beady black eyes weren't on me. It was focused on Kyouya who still had his back to me. Kyouya must've heard the single chirp, but he wasn't showing a reaction.

When the bird settled itself down in Kyouya's fluffy hair and nuzzled itself into a comfortable position, I held my breath and bit down on my lip. I was panicking inside my mind at how I was going to save the poor things life—it was practically nuzzling itself into the Grim Reaper's face.

Very emotionless face.

"Hibari, Hibari," it chirped after a few tense seconds.

I blinked in disbelief. _The bird knows what it's doing! _It nuzzled itself closer into Kyouya's hair and I felt my jaw drop when I saw him raise his hand to scratch the bird's head.

"Hn?" My jaw dropped even lower at that. Kyouya was actually talking to the bird. Well, not exactly talking—it was closer to a grunt, but I could clearly understand the meaning of it.

"Hibari," it squeaked again.

"I didn't know you had a bird," I blurted out.

"It's none of your business, Herbivore." _I want it to be my business. _Being addressed as Herbivore was definitely a step up from being ignored, but Kyouya had a hateful tone in his voice when he'd spat that out. I frowned as I tried to compose myself, I didn't want to show how much it had affected me.

"Tsuna didn't mention a bird," I mused.

Kyouya went back to placing the items away again. The bird was still nestled into his hair and he didn't seem to mind it at all. I still couldn't believe I'd missed the bird earlier; it was bright yellow and incredibly hard to miss. When Kyouya had finally finished putting things away, he scrunched up the bags and placed them inside a container. My eyes followed him as he moved around and I felt my cheeks heat up with every movement he took. I could see his figure clearly when his clothes moved around and it wasn't helping at all towards the fact I was trying to contain myself. I didn't want to make our relationship worse than it already was.

"What's the bird called?" I asked after I'd averted my eyes.

I could see him flinch in the corner of my eyes. For a few seconds, Kyouya didn't make any movements. The bird didn't either—they seemed to have stilled for awhile.

"Hibird," he finally came out with.

_That's oddly fitting. _I did find it strange that Kyouya had incorporated his own surname into the bird's name, but I wasn't going to question it. It was pretty cute if I was being honest; he wanted it to be known that Hibird was his pet.

"Cute," I thought out loud.

I didn't mean to say the comment out loud, but it audible enough for Kyouya to hear it. I saw him scrunch his hands into fists before he flashed a glare in my direction. I was happy he was looking at me again, but the fact it was a glare still made me sad. I frowned slightly before I made eye contact with him. I could still see he was angry, but it was more subtle than it was earlier.

"Kyouya?" He didn't make any move to reply, but his glare deepened. _I guess that's the best I'm going to get. _I sighed internally before I carried on to ask, "What did you mean this morning?"

Kyouya stiffened again, but this time he closed his eyes. I felt myself frown in confusion but my mouth quickly fell open when I saw his cheeks become lightly dusted with pink. I furrowed my eyebrows as my eyes went wide at his reaction; it was a purely innocent question and I got a completely unexpected reaction. I edged myself away from him I strained myself not to ask tackle him with affection.

"Kyouya?" I gently called, trying to remind him I was curious about the answer and his incredibly random reaction.

When his blush had gone, Kyouya finally opened his eyes and flashed a glare at me again. "I don't want your girlfriends in my apartment."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, but I could feel my face heating up. Somewhere along the line of our rather disturbing relationship, Kyouya had gotten the wrong idea.

"Eh?" I asked. I cringed internally when my voice went higher than normal, I couldn't help it, I was honestly surprised.

"I'm not going to repeat myself." He scowled.

"K-Kyouya―" I cut myself off with an awkward laugh whilst scratching the back of my neck. "I don't have a girlfriend."

Kyouya furrowed his eyebrows slightly—it was an almost invisible amount that they went up—but I caught it. His mouth twisted into a frown before he finally came out with, "You're disgusting."

"Eh?" My eyebrows shot up from his insult. Kyouya's reactions today had definitely been weird; he was _insulting_ me because I didn't have a girlfriend now, internally, I was hoping just the tiniest amount that he would've been happy about it. "I haven't had anyone in your apartment."

His scowl became incredibly deeper and I could barely make out the colour of his eyes from his glare. "Don't lie to me, Cavallone."

I sighed slightly to myself, but I was relieved about the fact he was calling me by my name again. I doubted whether I'd get him to call me Dino for a few weeks—Cavallone was better than Herbivore any day. It was at least correct; I definitely ate meat.

"I'm not lying to you." I was still taken aback from the fact that Kyouya thought I'd hide something from him. I wouldn't hide a woman inside his apartment while trying to get closer to him, that was absurd. I removed the hand from my neck and quickly ran it through my hair whilst I tried to think about what to say.

"What made you think that?" I sighed.

My eyes widened again when the slight dusting of pink became apparent on his cheeks. It wasn't bright or anything remotely similar, but I could make it out easily. His skin was too pale for his own good, but it seemed to fit his appearance well. It didn't matter that most of his clothing was dark too, creating a major contrast.

"I heard you this morning," there was no emotion in Kyouya's voice, but I hated that he tore his eyes away from mine when he'd muttered that. He was staring at the wall beside me as if it was completely natural that his attention would change to an inanimate object.

My first reaction was to gulp, but there were many things I had been doing that morning. I couldn't exactly pinpoint the time when Kyouya had seen me. I bit down on my lip and chewed for a few seconds before I finally came out with, "What did you hear?"

I was shocked that my own voice came out barely louder than a whisper. Instead of going higher with dread like earlier, my voice was lower than usual. I cleared my throat awkwardly and waited for Kyouya to answer. When I received no answer, I started to panic internally. I was jumping to the worst conclusions—the worst thing Kyouya could have heard this morning was me masturbating, but I doubted whether I'd been awfully loud. I quickly kicked that out of my mind whilst thinking about what else I'd done. I'd merely cleaned up my lip and small minor things.

"What did you hear?" I repeated; my voice came out normally this time and I was doing a mental happy dance. I didn't want him to know I was panicking.

"I heard you _mating,_" he finally spat out.

I literally stopped breathing for a few seconds whilst my mouth fell open and my eyes went wide. My worst conclusion had actually come true—Kyouya had heard me this morning. I was obviously louder than intended and I hoped the room didn't echo. I didn't bother to check; it seemed absolutely ridiculous at that moment. But now, I was regretting it more than anything. It was understandable why Kyouya had jumped to the wrong conclusion and assumed I had a woman round. I found myself gulping as I tried to think about how he'd found out—I was sure I hadn't left the door open, but that wouldn't explain anything. I clenched my hand into a fist as I tried to hold the blush back from my cheeks. I didn't want to flame up right in front of Kyouya without denying his accusation first. I needed to get things out in the open without making a complete fool of myself.

"Wrong," I admitted.

Kyouya's eye twitched slightly before he came out with, "Hn?"

"I said you're wrong. I wasn't mating." I averted my eyes and started to look at Hibird who was sleeping in his fluffy hair still.

"I said don't lie to me, Cavallone," he hissed.

I scrunched my eyes shut before I admitted, "I was masturbating, Kyouya."

Time seemed to slow down at that moment. I was trying to control my ragged breathing and fighting off the blush that was attempting to make its way onto my cheeks. I cracked my eyes open quickly and gazed back up at Hibird. I could see Kyouya's eyes go wide even when I was staring up at Hibird. I had obviously caught him off guard with the fact I was extremely blunt about it. I couldn't think of what else to do, but I was still curious as to why he had heard me though.

I nibbled on my lip again, just beside the cut that Kyouya had given me, and I finally blurted out, "Why were you listening?"

My gaze on Hibird got interrupted when Kyouya harshly moved forward, I didn't even have time to blink more than once before he was out of sight. I could hear his door slam shut when it had finally clicked in my head what had happened. Kyouya had practically run away from the situation and avoided my question. I felt my mouth tug down into a frown as I sighed quietly to myself.


	11. Marking

**dragonmage27: **I was so tempted to make Dino do that! But it would've ruined the mood D: Definitely going to be D18, I don't like 6918. **18plusForMe: **I like a blunt Dino. Haha, I'm glad you found the Hibird scene funny, I needed to throw something silly in. **Alguien22792: **I thought it was a good idea to use Tsuna because of them damn noises! Kekeke, innocent minded Hibari is the best~ **I Like To Stalk You: **Lmao your reaction was 'Derp'? I thought the image of Dino fist pumping was yummy, okay? Don't judge me! **Fuwacchi:** Haha, I shocked you. Oops. **Setsuna Alaude: **D'aww, I'm glad you liked it. C: **azel-chan: **ksdfljh;sdj do you even realize how big that compliment is? YOU BLEW MY BRAIN. Don't you love Hibari being innocent though? xD Ohoho, you'll have to wait and find out about whether or not Hibird's safe. **ezzelin: **I was panicking about making it go too fast and I've made it excruciatingly slow? Shit! *speeds up* **BeautifulHonest: **I'm so happy you like it! I like doing both POVs so everyone actually understands what's happening. :V I DON'T WANT TO BE EATEN. **Eyes17k: **Haha, should I make it so there's more blood then? ;) With pleasure... You like DPOV? I was so scared it was pointless to do. C: **That's Riku: **Mhmm, I'm glad~ :D I've made Dino a mafia boss still, but Tsuna's not going to be one. Also, there are no dying will flames. I forgot to point that out before, oops.

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter eleven—Marking

**HPOV**

I scowled down at the floor in my bedroom before I cupped my neck with my hand. I absolutely hated being around Cavallone; nothing good ever came from it. My reactions got out of hand and I didn't understand them whatsoever. The fact that I was _relieved _that he hadn't had a woman in my apartment had me internally freaking out. It was like a damn weight was lifted from my chest without me even noticing it was there before. I almost breathed a sigh of relief in the kitchen, but Cavallone ruined it by questioning how I heard. That snapped me out of my delusional state and made me realize I had to get out of there and fast. I wouldn't admit that I peered down the hallway to see if he was in and I ended up listening to such activities. I wouldn't be able to say it without being dubbed as a pervert, which I was not.

The love bite he had left on my neck from earlier that day felt like it was burning. If I had realized earlier what he was doing to my neck; I would've given him two swollen eyes instead of one. He had practically marked his territory without permission—the fact that the bruise wouldn't go away for at least a week had me clenching my fist by my side. I wanted nothing more than to slam it into his face several times, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I was getting more and more freaked out by the second. I let a hiss make its way out of my throat when I thought about the wounds I'd put on his face. When I'd seen him come up to me in the kitchen, I tried to ignore him. When I finally glanced up at him and saw his swollen eye and the other bruises marring his face, I almost felt sorry for him. For a second, I even felt bad about causing him pain. I'd never felt regret about causing someone to bleed; but Cavallone seemed to be the exception for everything.

I was really starting to hate him.

Whenever my thoughts drifted back to him unintentionally or a subtle reminder came my way, I reacted weirdly. My heartbeat would become heavier and I swore, if it became any worse it would've fallen out of my backside; it was humiliating. I barely knew anything about him, but he was having a huge effect on my life just from being around me less than a week. I still had at least four months until he would leave again and I somehow knew deep down, I wouldn't be the same at the end of it. If I was like this already, in four months time, I'd be a wreck. I grinded my teeth against each other as I could make out the sound of footsteps coming my way. Cavallone was definitely coming towards my direction and I absolutely didn't want him to be near me. I needed to get myself under control. I ran a hand through my hair and was momentarily shocked when it came across something fluffy. I forgot that Hibird was perched on top of my mop of hair, I could barely feel him and he was awfully quiet. I prodded his body quickly, indicating that I wanted him to fly off somewhere. He got the hint quickly and perched himself on my desk and I swore I could see his little beady eyes were focused on me at that moment. I had to be going crazy if I thought Hibird was concerned.

The footsteps finally stopped as I fisted my hand into my hair, I didn't know why I was getting nervous about the fact he was trying to carry on our earlier conversation.

"Kyouya?" I heard him murmur from outside my door.

My body actually stiffened from hearing his voice, it wasn't the normal tone he used. It almost sounded like he was in pain. I blinked harshly a few times before I pondered about what had hurt him. I hadn't punched him in the kitchen or anything, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Kyouya?" Cavallone finally called out, loud and clear. I frowned before I slumped against my door; hopefully, by pushing my weight upon it he wouldn't be able to barge his way into my room. My body hit against the wood with an audible thump and I was sure Cavallone had heard it. I could almost hear the crickets chirping, interrupting the awkward silence that was settling down into the space between us.

His voice was barely above a whisper when he asked, "Can I come inside?"

"No," I hissed.

The frown on my face deepened when I could hear he was twisting the door handle. I shifted my weight against the door again whilst wishing I had a lock installed on it. I didn't think I'd need one, I thought it would only be my mother and I in the apartment. I didn't count the existence of a pervert who entered my personal bubble without a care in the world. _A pervert who invaded my thoughts, too._ I had to bite down on my tongue to stop myself from voicing out a strangled groan of annoyance. The veins on my arms were poking out from the multiple times I'd tensed them.

"Let me inside."

_I'm not going to change my mind, not even if you beg. _"No," I repeated. It would be a lie if I said the image of Cavallone grovelling before me and begging wasn't pleasing. It was; it was almost too pleasing. I hadn't seen him have mood swings or anything remotely similar. Apart from the fact that he seemed to blush at the strangest times, he was almost suave. It infuriated me that he affected me in an unimaginable way and he was perfectly fine. It was only me who was going out of control. Cavallone could continue his normal life; happily going to see Sawada and then masturbating in his room without a care, yet here I was _blushing _and screeching inside my mind at his presence. Just by simply acknowledging that fact had my scowl becoming deeper.

"I just want to speak to you," he sighed.

I clenched my hands into fists by my sides as I felt something bubbling inside my stomach. _I guess the feeling is coming back with a vengeance. _At that moment, I seemed to find the alarm clock that was currently on my windowsill fascination, I stared at it and let my mind go blank as I saw the hand turning round the clock. It was a lot better than talking to Cavallone who was still outside my door. My eyebrows furrowed slightly at the fact he was still trying to talk to me, he didn't seem to get the clear picture yet. I wasn't going to intentionally talk to him if I could avoid it; it was too much of a hassle. I liked feeling in control.

"Kyouya," I heard him whine.

I couldn't believe that I'd heard him whine; not even five minutes ago I was contemplating about the fact he was almost suave and now he was _whining? _I was sure I had an incredulous expression on my face, but I had just realized my sense of judgement seemed to be warped around him too. That would explain why I had kissed him back. Two times.

After a few seconds, I realized I couldn't hear him anymore. I couldn't even hear his breathing, I was probably too preoccupied with my thoughts that I didn't hear him move away. I breathed a small sigh of relief before I shrugged the jacket I was wearing off of my shoulders. It was too hot inside my apartment to wear all the layers I did. I let out a yawn after I'd placed my jacket on the back of my chair, I even attempted to cover my mouth with my hand but I got distracted when I heard my door slowly creak open. I stiffened before I eventually turned around to see Cavallone standing in the doorway. I let my hand drop down to my side before I narrowed my eyes at the sight of him. The fact I'd yawned didn't help me at all—my eyes were glossy and I could barely make it his figure without it being blurred. I could make out the fact he still looked the same before.

A low growl of annoyance ripped out of my throat before I blinked harshly a few times, I wanted to see him clearly and to get him outside of my room as quickly as possible. Once my vision was clear, I looked up at him with a frown. I still hated the fact I had to look up to see him, it made me feel inferior. Cavallone's expression was still something I couldn't decipher, but I could make out the flush on his cheeks and the frown that was featuring on his lips. I frowned even deeper when I saw him position himself against wall and prop himself up with one leg. He crossed his arms over his chest and then simply stared at me, as if he was waiting for something in specific.

"What?" I hissed.

Cavallone pursed his lips before saying, "I haven't done anything wrong, Kyouya."

_Yes, you have. You just don't realize it._ My eye twitched a few times as I tried to keep my anger at bay. The feeling inside my stomach had intensified ever since he'd stepped inside the room. Even if Cavallone hadn't even done anything yet, just by looking at him it affected me. I really was starting to hate him.

He continued on to say, "You haven't answered my question."

My eyebrows rose slightly. "I know."

Cavallone frowned again, sighing to himself. I found myself following his subtle movements, even the slightest flick of his head to move the bangs out of his face. My frown deepened when I realized what I was doing; I just hoped he hadn't noticed. That would've been awful and I doubt I would've lived it down. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, hoping that he would leave my room already. I'd already ignored his questions and him calling my name, it couldn't have been more obvious that I didn't want to be in the same room with him.

The feeling in my stomach became uncomfortable when I felt Cavallone's gaze on my face. It was bubbling away and I hated every second of it, I didn't even know what it was and it was absolutely infuriating.

"Herbivore, get out of my sight already."

"I don't want to." I shot him an incredulous look before processing what he'd said. _He wants to stay with me? Is he insane? _I'd never been welcoming, yet he was still coming back for more out of choice, apparently.

"Are you by any chance a masochist?" I questioned.

"I'm not, sorry," he chortled. My eye twitched from hearing him laugh without understanding the meaning behind my question. I really needed to consider reverse psychology at that point—none of my tactics were working. I didn't want a repeat of the previous two events; a conversation between Cavallone and I usually ended up with him bleeding or a kiss. I frowned again from remembering the kisses; they were all completely different, but made me feel the same way.

Disgusted.

An odd tingling fluttered through my chest from admitting my disgust in my head and I looked down at it with my eyebrows furrowed. I thought I was either coming out with something or I needed to visit a doctor immediately. I inwardly grimaced when I thought about the doctors, although I'd only gone a few times, I had hated it. Sitting down in the waiting room was like torture. The walls were so white they almost gave me a headache and the fact that everyone present in the room numbly stared at a random spot on the wall or had habits that made my eye twitch. The doctor himself was definitely the worst part of it. He'd been overly familiar with me and the nurse followed his example; they addressed me by my first name and mused over whether or not they should use a childish honorific considering my age. I grunted in disapproval about Cavallone's stare that was still on my face. I could still feel my skin tingling slightly, but I guessed it was a natural reaction, it made the hairs on the back of my head stand up. I clenched my hands into fists by sides before I finally decided to simply walk out of the room. It seemed like best option. I didn't look back at Cavallone as I robotically moved my feet and walked into the kitchen. I glanced up at the clock on the wall and felt myself click my tongue in annoyance. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon. I hadn't done anything all day and I still had hours left to do. I almost slammed my head down on the countertop when I heard footsteps behind me. They were soft, I could make out that it was Cavallone padding along after me. I was sure the vein on my forehead was sticking out from skin in annoyance. It seemed like the idiot didn't give up, I'd already slammed my tonfa into his face this morning. Whilst my eye was busy twitching, I moved my right arm to grasp my tonfas from the pocket in my jacket.

After I'd prodded the cold air behind my back, I realized I had a problem. I'd taken my jacket off in my room, meaning that I wasn't armed with anything apart from my fists. I clenched one before staring down at it, I had to calculate my chances of actually landing a hit on Cavallone. It seemed whenever I tried to punch him—with the exception of earlier—he was able to block it or get back up straight away.

_He must be strong. _I smirked to myself quickly before turning around to face him. I saw surprise flicker across his features momentarily before a wide grin spread across his face. His eyes started to twinkle slightly, but I quickly ignored that fact. When I saw him open his mouth to speak, I clucked my tongue in disapproval quickly before I cut him off with my musing.

"You must be strong."

Shock was evident on his face for a few seconds before it faded into a grimace. I arched an eyebrow at the contradictions on his face—he wasn't denying it at all.

"Fight me," I demanded.

He seemed to chew on his lip whilst pondering over my demand, it made my eye twitch that I had to wait for him. If I had my jacket on at that moment, I would've simply hit him with my tonfa.

After what seemed to be forever, Cavallone came out with, "I don't want to hurt you."

My frown became impossibly deeper, I had originally thought I was coming across as a child to him, but his statement just then completely admitted what I thought was true. I grinded my teeth together as I realized he was the only one at that moment who wasn't taking me seriously. I wasn't used to being treated like I'd break at any second, I didn't want to get used to it.

"I'll bite you to death before you can," I spat.

Cavallone pursed his lips for a few moments. He ran his hand through his hair quickly before asking, "Hey, Kyouya?"

I merely raised an eyebrow as an answer.

"Can I get something if I win? You can get something too, if you like." I swore I could see a hint of a smile on his lips.

_This could be interesting. _He seemed to be strong, but I doubted whether he could stand his ground against me if I was at full force, it seemed like taking candy from a baby. I smirked softly to myself, thinking about what exactly I would like if I won. The best idea I could come up with was Cavallone to say out of my way until he left. That way, I could keep my dignity when I was in his presence.

"Interesting," I mused.

Cavallone's smile finally became visible, it was one of the broadest ones I'd ever seen on his face. I blinked a few times, trying to get the image of his white teeth out of my mind. It seemed I couldn't think for a few minutes when he'd flashed that. I quickly shook my head before I went to grab my jacket from my bedroom. Cavallone didn't follow after me this time, or if he did, I couldn't hear his footsteps. I doubted whether or not he could do that.

Before I stalked back to the kitchen, I made sure my jacket was hanging perfectly from my shoulders. Cavallone was still in the same position as before, but he was staring in the direction I was coming from. I smirked slightly as I gently trailed my finger softly over my tonfa inside my jacket, I couldn't wait for it to slam into his face. I merely glanced at Cavallone quickly before turning towards the doorway and proceeding to slip my shoes on. I didn't want to ruin my apartment, it seemed a good idea to go somewhere secluded. I could hear him following after me and I was thankful that I didn't have to say anything. I was almost jumping from the excitement. I hadn't fought anyone who could be considered strong for a long time. I was itching for a good fight.

Cavallone shut the door behind him—and I assumed he locked it if he wanted to live to see another day—and padded along after me, down the stairs. We walked in silence and I was smirking slightly about what was to come. I couldn't wait to finally see how Cavallone was in action.

It seemed like an eternity later, we arrived at the secluded place I had had in my mind when I was pondering where to go. We were beside the tree I seemed to come to whenever I wanted to sort things out, it seemed oddly appropriate. Once I was sure there was no one around after scouting the area for a few moments, I turned around to face him. Cavallone's face was emotionless and I swore I could see him frowning to himself. I blinked a few times before reminding myself what I had came there to do, to make sure he stayed the hell away from me. I didn't want for Cavallone to signal he was ready; I simply whipped my tonfas out from my jacket and charged towards him. I saw a flicker of surprise splash across his face before his eyes went back to being void of any emotion. I frowned slightly before picking up my pace. I raised my arms, ready to strike, when a flash of brown caught my attention in the corner of my eye. I jumped abruptly to my right just as I heard a sickening snap beside me. I momentarily let my eyes travel over to locate the sound and I found myself blinking in shock. I had completely forgotten that Cavallone was armed, I could see the end of the whip lightly resting on the floor, whilst the rest was slicing through the air with every nanosecond that passed. I let my eyes trial over the whip and I saw Cavallone was grasping it in his right hand. That meant his left was left unguarded. I smirked slightly before I moved again, this time jumping and moving to swipe my tonfa down onto his head.

I let a hiss out of my throat when the whip curled harshly around my tonfa, before I could react appropriately it was ripped out of my right hand. Cavallone was apparently extremely skilled with the whip if he was able to miss hitting my body or face and simply letting it wrap around my tonfa.

It was another hint of his power.

Swapping my tonfa to my opposite hand, I leapt back with my eyes narrowed. I took in Cavallone's crouched form and found myself tingling was excitement. He was finally taking me serious, I wasn't a child simply wanting to have a play fight. I wanted blood, preferably his, spilling out onto the pavement below him. I wanted him to finally realize he was wrong and for me to get over my nerves about hurting him. With one blow, all my doubts could be gone. I licked my lips in anticipation before I sidestepped; narrowly missing the whip that was meant to hit me. I smirked in delight about the fact I was faster than him. It would be easy from here, he had one side of his body completely unguarded and I was sure, if we went into close combat, I would win. He wouldn't be able to use his whip well if we were almost meshed together.

Our fight seemed to get more and more intense, I was almost sweating after ten minutes of continuous movement without landing a single hit. I had managed to get my tonfa back, after getting uncomfortably close to Cavallone's body without actually touching him. His eyes had widened in surprise and his concentration momentarily dropped, before I roughly snatched back my tonfa and narrowly missed the whip that was practically aching to be wrapped around my throat at that point. I was almost panting too, it was infuriating but amusing at the same time. I couldn't remember a fight that had lasted with the opponent and I on par with each other. After few more infuriating minutes, I smirked bitterly whilst looking up into Cavallone's face. He still wasn't showing any emotions on his face, but I could clearly see his mouth was curved down into a frown. There were no flickers of excitement or amusement flashing in his eyes. Instead, he was completely immersed into trying to control his whip. Only a few times had he missed and roughly tripped over, but it seemed at the last minute, he'd regained his control and missed the tonfa that was about to smash into his face.

When I saw his lips twitch and then his eyes widen ever so slightly, I knew he had something up his sleeve. I narrowed my eyes at him before I let the spikes come out of my tonfas. Cavallone's twitching lip finally turned back to a frown when he'd finally noticed what I'd done, I didn't give him anymore time to admire my weapon though. I harshly swiped where his face should have been and was disappointed yet again when I hit air. I turned to flash a glare at him and smirked in glee as I saw there was blood slowly making its way down his cheek.

As I glanced down at my tonfas, my eyes widened slightly in glee when I saw there was blood coating the spikes too. I had finally made contact with his skin, the rest of his body was yet to come. The adrenaline was finally kicking in more than ever, fuelling me to spill more of his blood. I tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that was in my stomach—I was probably just hungry. I didn't try the same trick I had done before—swiping down hard and getting too close for comfort with his body—instead, I finally kicked him, square in the chest. He let out a surprised gasp before tumbling slightly and I felt my eye twitch in annoyance when he'd narrowly missed falling down on his back. A frown was forming on my lips as I saw him awkwardly twirl, trying to regain his balance. The movement looked familiar, but I was sure I'd never seen him do it before, I was sure that it would have been unforgettable to see him doing that.

_How could I have thought he was suave?_ Cavallone was a complete idiot, he just sometimes seemed graceful in the way he was moving. It had to be purely luck and he had probably rejoiced inside his room later that night, remembering the way he didn't act like a fool most of the day. It seemed like him, it was fitting. It was strange to see Cavallone was a completely serious face whilst he was working with his whip. _It suits him. _I was jumping back as well as trying to add in a few swipes, but none of them hit. I let out a small hiss as I felt the leather slash against my left shoulder. I was too absorbed into my thoughts; I was sure my flesh was either an angry red or bleeding a small amount from the hit. I wasn't expecting for him to hit with that much force, I didn't think he had it in him. I let my eyes flash darkly before I went back into my stance, ready to pounce on him again.

We continued for ages again, but this time we were panting. With each breath I took, it seemed almost as if my lungs were burning. Although it was an unwelcome feeling, it kept my mind on the task in front of me. I needed to beat Cavallone. He was serious too, despite the fact I could see the beads of sweat making their way down his face. There were even droplets trailing down his collarbones. I hastily shook my head before the clash of our weapons brought me back to the present. I was sure blood was staining most of my uniform, just like there was blood coating almost all of his outfit. It didn't matter that I was close to exhausting myself; it actually felt great to fight with someone like the way we were. Although we were almost evenly matched, it seemed to shift from time to time. As he landed the hits on my body, the next minute or so I retaliated and marred his flesh with angry cuts.

When I felt my vision was becoming hazy and the sky was eventually turning a darker shade as each clash of our weapons past, I knew I had to end it soon. I sucked in a deep breath before attempting to slam my weapon into his stomach.

Apparently, Cavallone had the same idea, that he needed to end what we were doing soon. It was too late when I saw his right arm move backwards before quickly slamming back into its previous position, I felt the leather across my waist in that moment and I cursed under my breath.

In my haste to finally end our stalemate, I had left myself defenceless and oblivious to Cavallone's intentions. I only had myself to blame at that moment, I couldn't place the blame on anyone else's shoulders. I could feel the shame dirtying my mind before I narrowed my eyes up at Cavallone's face. There was finally some emotion apart from surprise flickering across it, this time it seemed like happiness. A broad grin was slowly becoming apparent on his face whilst his eyes were getting impossibly larger. I saw his eyes trial from the whip in his hands—and wrapped around my waist, preventing me from moving—and back up to my face.

"Hey, Kyouya?" he asked.

I narrowed my eyes even further at the fact he'd called my name when it wasn't necessary. There wasn't anyone around, I doubted he needed to say it in almost every sentence. The way his voice seemed to wrap around it made me internally cringe. I never wanted my name to be said in that way—it was too intimate. I frowned when he moved closer whilst tightening the whip around my body. I coughed slightly—most likely hacking up a bit of blood—before I realized he was almost two centimetres away from my face. I stubbornly averted my gaze as I looked onto the tree beside us. Our blood was meshed together upon it, almost as if it was paint. It wasn't intentional that it was soaking on the tree; it just seemed to had happened. I felt myself shiver slightly when a harsh gush of wind passed by, making me aware of the fact my clothes were damp with my own blood. I was almost blue I was so cold. It didn't matter that I was covered in beads of sweat either; they didn't warm me up at all.

"Can I get my prize now?" he whispered lowly into my ear.

I frowned at our lack of distance before letting a growl make its way out of my throat. My personal bubble was definitely being abused, but the thing that had me most worked up was the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach seemed to have intensified. It was almost unbearable at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to slam my fist into my own stomach to get it to return to normal. I never thought I'd admit I wanted to cause myself pain, but it was the only solution I could think of. Cavallone chuckled before uncoiling the whip from around me. I could see it was covered in blood too, some wet and some dry, whilst my tonfas were too. I definitely needed to clean them, I didn't want Cavallone's blood staining them for a long period of time. The last few hours had been more than enough. I was happy that I had made him bled more than I had before, but the fact I'd left myself _defenceless _whilst he happily wrapped his whip around my body had my eye twitching. I was definitely going to fight him again; it was almost exhilarating to be on par with someone. It barely ever happened, I couldn't even remember the last time I'd had a fight that was that long or violent.

It was absolutely worth it.

"Later, Herbivore." I frowned up at him before turning around and walking back in the direction of the apartment. I was attempting to wipe the imaginary dust and the blood off of my uniform, whilst I was trying to ignore the footsteps from behind me. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up from the cold stare I was receiving. It was ridiculous that it was making me nervous, but it would have been a lie to say it wouldn't.

Cavallone didn't say a word as we walked into the apartment. I could hear him sigh softly to himself or even laugh a little, but that was the extent of his noise. I was happy with that—I didn't want to be walking back and then living with a herbivore who didn't know when the hell to shut his mouth and possibly glue it too. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of bread before moving towards my bedroom. The stare was definitely beyond uncomfortable at that point, almost all the hairs on my body were starting to stand up at that point. I shut the door roughly behind me before I ate the bread quickly and then took my jacket off. It wasn't completely soaked with blood, just a few patches in random spots. The worst part had to be my shirt; because it was white, the deep red of my blood was standing out against it. There was no doubt in my mind about the fact I would have to throw away the shirt. I didn't have the patience to wash it a few times.

As I was about to go shower, I realized a few disturbing facts.

Cavallone could claim whatever he wanted as a prize, whenever was convenient for him. I had actually lost my first fight for a few years and somehow still kept my dignity. Cavallone had fucking marked me again—this time, with cuts and bruises. I balled my hands into fists before I headed to the shower, with every intention of scrubbing my body until they lost their colour and dulled down against my skin.


	12. Decisions

**alugien22792: **Haha yes, denial! I actually spat out my drink when I read your review! I want Dino to fuck him hard too! xD **I Like To Stalk You: **Kekeke. Education does suck! Oho, you'll have to wait and see what happened to Enzo. **fuwacchi: **DPOV is so hard to write, but I'll try. Holy crap that was a big compliment—are you sure you haven't hit your head too many times? **BeautifulHonest: **Silly Hibari. He's too innocent. C: Knowing me, it'll be something perverted. *Evil cackle* **Eyes17k: **I'm glad you liked the denial! It was fun to write. :D Headbutts hurt! You got run over by a freakin' car? You poor thing! I hope you didn't become traumatized. *rubs my cheek on your face* **Ninjabandgeek: **That's a compliment, holy hell. o.o **azel-chan: **THAT'S A BIG REVIEW. HOLY HELL. I'M MAKING YOUR REPLY IN CAPITALS TO EXPRESS HOW AWESOME YOU REALLY ARE. MY STORY MAKES YOU THAT HAPPY? I ALMOST IMPLODED FROM READING THAT. I FREAKIN' LOVE YOU. HAHA, I KEPT BUGGING MY FRIEND TO HELP ME WITH THE FIGHT SCENE. IN THE END I ONLY GOT A KICK IN THE FACE AND NO HELP—SO I'M GLAD YOU LIKED IT! I'M WARY OF PINEAPPLE JUICE FROM MY OWN STORY. C: **Setsuna Alaude: **:D You'll see him pissed again soon! **Lawlie-sama: **Hehehe. **CPRemix: **You're mentally unstable if you check FF so much because of me—absolutely crazy. This story is just bullshit, haha. L:

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter twelve—Decisions

**DPOV**

The grin that was featuring on my face kept getting broader and broader, I couldn't help it at that point. Even if I was feeling terrible about the fact I had inflicted pain on Kyouya and even caused him to bleed; something good had came from it. He'd acknowledged me for my strength at least. It seemed to be the first step for him to finally talk to me like a normal person. I didn't want to simply be a roommate for him. I wanted much more. I didn't care that I was bleeding from multiple cuts or that my skin was more bruised than normal due to outcome of the fight. As I had seen Kyouya speed up in almost a second, I could feel my heart fluttering in my chest. His scowl had became deeper and as he was about to land a hit, I saw he'd left his right side open. It was probably an unconscious habit that I'd noticed throughout, but I couldn't stop myself at that moment. I ended it quickly, coiling my whip around his thin body. I almost gave up as the whip collided with his body, harshly pressing into his skin. As my weapon became tighter, his shirt moved too. I could see it was stained with blood, but the detail that was worse than that was the fact I could practically see through it. It was almost like a second skin at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to remove the weapon and replace it with me. I wanted to latch onto him—definitely in a different situation—and feel his warmth. I had to roughly gulp before mentally scolding myself and then acknowledging I had won. Even if I could've ended it a rare few times earlier, I couldn't bring myself to do it. That moment was too much for me—I needed to get a hit and when I did, I felt sick to my stomach. As I uncoiled my whip and saw Kyouya pant before saying I could get whatever I wanted later, I became happier. I forgot about the uncomfortable feeling fluttering inside my stomach and focused on the fact I had the upper hand in the complicated relationship I shared with him.

I attempted to wipe the blood off of myself when Kyouya stalked off to his room, I tried to ignore the fact that he wasn't even glancing in my direction anymore. I focused my attention on the grumbling sound that was coming from my stomach. I grimaced slightly to myself, thinking about the last time I'd ate properly. _I'll go see Nana tomorrow. _I settled for a bowl of cereal—even though Kyouya had gone shopping earlier in the day, I didn't want to intrude and consume some already. He probably would've gotten angry and made our relationship even worse. A small smile spread across my lips as I ate quickly, trying to think about what exactly I wanted.

_I want him to be submissive. _Even though the chance of Kyouya becoming submissive seemed most likely to be close to zero, it was at least worth a try. I couldn't exactly throw it into one of our complicated conversations, I'd probably get another tonfa to the face. I'd had enough of his tonfas. I had noticed that he kept him in his jacket; that's why when we had gone out to dinner—more like dragged him on my part—he hadn't been able to harm me.

That night was also the one where I had lost my control. It had annoyed me to no end that he was avoiding looking at me, but even worse than that was the frequent short answers I was receiving. I had been worried out of my skull that he had fainted, almost on top of me, and he wouldn't even look me in the face. I had carefully picked him up and lifted him to my room, but if I had been the worst type of roommate, I could've left him there on the floor. Sure, it wasn't the best place for him to wake up, but that type of situation would have been one where it was correct to ignore the other person. I'd completely lost all of my control when we were on the stairs, I'd even brought out my whip. I didn't want to show him I even knew how to use a weapon, but it became useful in the end due to the fight we had had earlier. It was violent, bloody and damn right exhilarating despite the pain.

As I clumsily washed up my empty cereal bowl, I bit down onto my lip. I'd forced Kyouya into a kiss a few times; said times being when we'd first met, on the stairs and then on the sofa. My favourite for all the wrong reasons would have to be the one we shared on the stairs. It was absolutely surprising. I hadn't expected him to start kissing me back, but I was even more so when he'd wrapped his arms around my neck. When he'd bit down onto my lip, I almost slammed my head against the wall beside me from my stupidity. Of course he wouldn't just kiss me back all of a sudden, he barely knew me. I barely knew him too, but I didn't mind.

"I'm crazy," I murmured.

As I ran a hand roughly through my hair, I started making my way back to the bathroom. I needed to shower to get all the blood off me and then probably use a whole tube of antiseptic cream to try and stop any infections. I couldn't hear any noises as I passed by Kyouya's room, but I quickly brushed it off my mind. It wasn't as if I was expecting him to be talking to his bird or even shouting at the wall. I knew he was normally quiet, if anything, I'd be worried if I heard noises from his room. I closed the bedroom door behind myself and started to unbutton my shirt. After I'd taken it off and inspected it, I knew there was no hope in hell that I would be able to wear it again. There were cuts across it and more blood than the normal colour. I simply threw it into the rubbish bin before I made my way to the shower. I was still thankful I didn't have to share a bathroom with Kyouya, I doubted whether he had a lock and it would be stupidly awkward if we had ran into each other.

When my hand pawed through the cold air in my pocket, I froze. I brought my hand back out quickly before shoving it in again, checking to see whether my mind had decided to play a trick on me. My hand still met the same results—I couldn't feel anything inside my pocket at all.

I harshly bit down onto my lip before calling, "Enzo?"

If I had any luck, he would've fallen out into my room before I'd left to see Kyouya. If he was anywhere outside it would be disastrous, especially if it was in the park. It was bound to be wet there; even the mornings with the dew coated grass would make him grow. _What if a random child finds him? Oh shit, oh shit. _I was cursing inside my head like a maniac as I dropped onto the floor and tried to look in any corners of my room. He had to be somewhere inside the room. I couldn't believe I didn't even realize he'd fallen out of my pocket; he was heavy enough to be noticeable.

"What am I going to do?" I moaned. I couldn't exactly call Romario over the phone and start panicking. He had no way of helping me, he was in damn Italy after all. It would probably take too long to run to Tsuna's and ask for help. I was sure it was too late as well; I could clearly see the moon outside my window.

A loud thump came from somewhere in the apartment, and then a few more with around the same force followed after the first. I furrowed my eyebrows before where the sound came from clicked inside my head. I didn't even have time to think as my feet pounded against the carpet, echoing against the walls. I opened Kyouya's door and when I found no one inside, I bit down on my lip almost hard enough to draw blood before kicking any reasoning out of my head. I moved onto the next room and took a deep breath before grasping the door handle. The cold of the metal didn't put me off, and my determination didn't waver. I wanted to know what had happened, whatever the sound was it was loud and if it was Kyouya falling over, it had to hurt. I'd had my fair share of falling over, more than I probably needed in a lifetime; I knew a fall that loud couldn't be good. I swung the bathroom door open with determination burning my eyes, but when I saw what had actually happened I froze on the spot as my determination completely vanished and my eyes widened at an impossible rate.

My face was immediately dominated with a deep blush whilst I could feel warmth spiralling inside my stomach, instantly travelling lower. I swore my breathing stopped for a few seconds as I took in the sight before me. My eyes had automatically traced the bathroom for any sign of Kyouya and when I'd finally found him, I was frozen on the spot. I knew I should've been moving—probably out of the room and leaving the apartment to keep myself alive—but I was mesmerised by his _position_ and appearance. It was obvious he in the middle of a certain activity, since there were droplets of water coating his skin, but what had caught me off guard the most was the fact he was stark naked right in front of my eyes.

He didn't even know I was there. I bit onto my lip as I realized that little detail. I had time to ogle him without the threat of my eyes being plucked from their sockets, I harshly gulped as I saw him staring down at something on the floor, but I didn't bother to see what it was. My vision was clouded with the image of his bare body, only covered in water droplets. _Holy freakin' hell. _

His complexion was even paler than usual, but what was standing out the most were the raw red cuts scattered across his skin. A lump of guilt starting building up in my throat, but I wasn't concerned with it at that moment. I only had a side view of Kyouya, but I could clearly see the outline of his backside and the muscles that were on his thighs.

"K-Kyouya?" I choked out.

In less time than I could simply blink, his head whipped around to face my direction. I saw his eyes widen slightly before his mouth twisted into a scowl. I opened my mouth again, but this time I couldn't even think of what I wanted to say. I wanted to ask so many things at that point, I was concerned about what that noise was, but even more so about why I wasn't missing at least two teeth at that moment. If it was the other way around, I would've been mortified that Kyouya had walked in on me. I swallowed the lump that was attacking my throat and started to take a step forward. Just as my foot was about to make contact with the floor again, I heard the sharp rustling of material. I changed my line of sight and mentally nodded to myself in comprehension. Kyouya hadn't thrown anything at me due to the fact he was reaching for the shower curtain, that was the rustling noise I had heard. A mixture of feelings were spiralling inside me at that moment, but mostly disappointment that I couldn't see him anymore.

"Kyouya?" I called again.

"Get out, Cavallone," he hissed. I was relieved he was actually talking to me, but I was still trying to keep myself under control. I could feel the warmth travelling down low and I knew I needed to get out soon.

My lip was almost bleeding from the amount of times I'd bit down on it. "Are you okay?"

"Hn." Was the only reply I received.

"I wonder what that crash was," I mused whilst running a hand through my hair.

"Why are you still here?" I didn't need to see Kyouya's face to know he was frowning.

I blinked in confusion before almost slamming my head against the wall for my stupidity. I had stood still inside the bathroom, waiting for Kyouya to come out, he needed his privacy to finish his shower. I didn't even have a reason for being in there anymore, but more than that I needed to go to my own room to attempt to fix my _problem_ downstairs.

"Sorry," I groaned. I practically sprinted towards my room whilst attempting to keep my balance. If I'd fallen down on the floor in an awkward position, it wouldn't have helped my situation at all. I was still concerned with what the noise was and where Enzo was. _Kyouya doesn't even know about him yet! _Just the thought of introducing Enzo to Kyouya seemed awkward—I knew he liked animals, such as Hibird, but I doubted whether that applied to others as well. I'd only seen him with the yellow fluff ball. Tsunayoshi hadn't told me about other animals either. His view of Kyouya seemed to be completely warped; he was made out to be a bloodthirsty Prefect who enjoyed violence more than anything else. I'd seen a relatively normal teenage boy who, uh—_Damnit who am I kidding? _Kyouya was bloodthirsty, but there was more to him than that. I frowned to myself before opening the door to my room.

The mattress lowered itself as I settled myself upon it. I bit down on my lip again but stopped when a hiss of pain escaped my throat. I was still sore from my fight with Kyouya earlier, but my lip wasn't damaged from that. I'd bitten down on it too much, the tender flesh practically screamed in protest as soon as I nipped at it had to be proof.

Through my trail of thought, I'd realized another piece of information I kept trying to keep out of my mind. It was a crucial detail; one that could even stop me from having my break from the mafia. Kyouya was still in middle school. I'd finished school years ago, I was a legal adult, whereas he wasn't. _It's definitely pedophilia. _I could already be classed as one.

_Shit shit shit. _I couldn't deepen our relationship without coming across various problems. No one would approve of it because of our age difference, but even more so due to the fact we were both male. I scoffed slightly to myself, thinking about how ridiculous my life had gotten in less than a week. I used to think I was heterosexual, but here I was, not even a week later lusting after a male who was roughly Tsunayoshi's age. _I can't do this. _After I'd decided to stop myself from advancing further, I looked around the apartment for Enzo again. I still couldn't find him in my room, so I ventured out into the living room space. Kyouya still hadn't come out of the bathroom and I was thankful for that, I didn't want a view of him freshly out of the shower after I'd decided against it.

"Enzo?" I called.

It would have been ridiculous to expect an answer, I doubted he could make a noise loud enough for me to hear, but I was still worried to the point of tugging at my hair. I didn't have a clue where I could have left him; he could have been bigger than my head at that very moment and possibly scaring children somewhere. _I need to find him! _

"Cavallone." I heard from behind me.

My eyes widened slightly when I heard his voice. I wasn't expecting him behind me, but his tone was closer to a grunt more than anything else. It was too low for someone his age and I had to shake my head slightly to keep my attention on the present time. I turned around painfully slow, repeating the same phrase various times inside my head. _Please be dressed, Kyouya. _I breathed a small sigh of relief when I saw he was dressed in his usual attire—black pants and a white shirt. I didn't see his jacket hanging from his shoulders, but I didn't doubt the fact he probably stored his tonfas somewhere on his body.

"Yes?" I said with a hint of uncertainty in my voice.

Kyouya arched an eyebrow before pulling one of his hands out from behind his back. "What's this?"

I swore I blinked like an idiot for a few seconds before a smile plastered itself across my face. Upon Kyouya's palm was what I was searching for—Enzo. I didn't bother answering his question, it was rhetorical anyway. I took Enzo into my own hands before inspecting him, searching for any damage. I wasn't expecting Kyouya to hurt him, but he may have by accident.

"Where did you find him?" I grinned.

His mouth formed a deep frown before he eventually replied with, "In my shower."

My eyebrows knitted themselves together in confusion as I stared down at Enzo. He wasn't any larger than normal—if he had appeared in Kyouya's shower, he should've been at least the size of the coffee table. The same damn table I kept tripping over; I'd counted at least six times already. I had yet to see Kyouya trip over anything at all. "What was the crash, Kyouya?"

His eyes flickered to my pet before they settled back onto my face. I took that as my answer since it didn't appear like he was in a talkative mood. After all, I swore I'd seen his eye twitch a few times since he'd came back into the apartment. Before I could talk again a large yawn found its way out of my throat, it was a subtle reminder of the time. It was sure to be late at night since we'd came back when the stars were just becoming visible.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" I questioned.

The frown on his face deepened before he answered. "I don't see how it's any of your business."

_Cold as always. _I laughed quietly to myself as I saw him turn on his heel and then walk towards his bedroom. I swore he shut the door with more force than necessary, but I quickly concluded that it wouldn't suit him to do it. It was probably my imagination anyway. I let out another yawn before I walked back towards my own room. I would've thought I'd earned at least some respect from our fight, but I probably ruined it by barging into his shower. _It was worth it. _I bit down onto my tender lip again as the image of Kyouya in the shower floated back into my head. It was definitely satisfying. I crawled into bed after I'd stripped down to my boxers and turned the light off. I was worn out from moving around more than usual, Kyouya had to be worse. When he'd come out fully dressed it was probably because he didn't want to seem at a disadvantage by being scantily clad in front of me. I frowned at the thought of him putting defences up around me. I didn't want them, but I knew it would take a few days to break them down. I could at least poke at his pride until he did what I wanted. _I can be a friend instead of a lover—I'm not breaking any rules if I did that. _

I didn't remember what kind of dream I had had in the morning, but the heat that was spiralling in my stomach and my growing need had to be a hint; a very subtle one at that.

"No." I frowned to myself—I wasn't going to do _that _again whilst thinking about Kyouya. I needed to stick to my resolve.

A cold shower quickly sorted out my problem but it left me shivering and scuttling around my room searching for clothes. I did trip over my own feet a few times and when I'd landed on the floor, I spied Enzo sleeping on his feminine blanket again. A small laugh made its way out of my throat at the scene but I didn't wake him up. I did need to buy some more food for him to eat; I couldn't remember whether there were any left in the fridge. I eventually dressed myself without any complications. I wore a brown pair of cargo pants and a simple black t-shirt. It didn't feel cold enough to put a jacket on. I brushed my teeth quickly before peering at the time. I blinked a few times when I saw it was only six in the morning. I thought it was later than that, after all, I was exhausted last night and went to bed without setting any alarms. I pursued my lips before poking my head out of the door, peering down the hallway to see if Kyouya was anywhere. I didn't know what time he needed to go to school, but I was sure he'd left early. I barely ever caught him before he went out of the apartment. I didn't know what time he got back either, it was always random.

When I'd heard no noise coming from the hallway, I frowned to myself before walking out. I peered around the corners, looking for any traces of him. His bedroom door was left open and I tried to ignore the fact I could only smell his scent from inside. It was attacking my senses and I quickly shut it for him when I saw he wasn't inside. There was no point leaving it open so I could smell him, it was bound to get me distracted.

"Kyouya?" I called.

Of course, I received no reply but it didn't hurt to try. I probably would have been flabbergasted if I did receive one. I shrugged slightly before walking to the kitchen and pouring myself a drink of water. As I was cleaning the glass after I'd finished drinking, I heard the door open. My interest was immediately piqued so I put the glass down and walked towards the sound. I blinked when I saw Kyouya standing in the doorway, angrily taking his shoes off. At the angle he'd put his head at, I couldn't see his eyes but I was sure they were narrowed to slits. His frown was one of the deepest ones I'd seen on his face and it became impossibly deeper when he'd noticed my presence.

I raised my hand and let out an uncertain, "Hello."

A grunt was all I got before he stormed past and swung his bedroom door open. Kyouya appeared again less than a minute later, but this time with his jacket hanging off his shoulders. I let out a small sigh of realization, he'd been distracted this morning and forgotten his jacket, therefore annoyed at his own action. It was certainly plausible, so I let out a small smile. I could imagine him doing something like that.

"Forgotten anything else?" I grinned.

This time, I could actually see his eyes. _I was right. _They were narrowed down into slits and I swore I could only make out a tiny glint of his obsidian irides.

"Don't talk to me, Cavallone," he grunted.

When he'd shut the door after he'd left the apartment, I let a laugh make its way out of my throat. I wasn't intimated by Kyouya, not at all. _He's so stubborn! _I ran a hand through my hair before I got the keys from my apartment and ventured outside. I didn't mind that it was early in the morning, it was certainly better than waking up halfway through the day. I pursed my lips when I'd realized I'd done that a lot. It was definitely a nice break from waking up at the crack of dawn every day without break. _I can't get too used to this. _I was bound to moan in a few months time when I was going to be dragged out of bed to do paperwork. I breathed a sigh of relief when I was walking through the shopping distract, liking the feeling of no pen in my hand. I swore if I had to write anymore back in Italy I was going to have a permanent pen imprint in fingers.

_What should I do? _I didn't have any plans for that day, more than anything, I just wanted to try and be friendlier with Kyouya. He was at school until I didn't even know what time; I knew he'd left early though. Either that or Tsunayoshi always made it in a nick of time. After all, Nana was always telling me about the times he'd ran out the house in the mornings and sometimes dragged his friends along with him. I spent my time randomly through the day—I visited the park where I was with Kyouya last night and grimaced at the random specs of blood that were covering the floor. I cleaned them up the best I could without any possession to help me before I went back into town. I brought food for Enzo before stopping off at a café and having a coffee. It was bitter, but it stopped me from yawning from my exhaustion that was creeping up on me. I peered through the other shop windows, but nothing caught my eye. I was bored out of my mind with nothing whatsoever to do. I pondered about whether or not to go see Nana, but I didn't want to intrude. She probably had things to do through the day instead of me pestering her every day. I could always visit after the school hours were over, that way, I could entertain Tsunayoshi too. I did want to talk to him about Kyouya, too.

When my boredom had reached a new peak I breathed a sigh before going to the nearest supermarket. I didn't see what Kyouya had brought yesterday, but it couldn't have hurt to buy some more ingredients. I hadn't cooked anything properly since I'd been in Namimori, anyway. I needed to have something to eat, my stomach that was gradually getting uncomfortable was another subtle hint.

As I was picking up a bottle of milk, I saw a flash of blue in the corner of my eye. I turned my head with my eyes full of curiosity, looking to see whatever it was. I only saw a male next to me, reaching for a drink too. I shrugged it off of my shoulders before going to pay for all of my items. I had kept my mind off of my boredom by strolling the random items, looking for anything relatively amusing. There were certainly strange items inside the store, nothing like back in Italy. I slouched down onto the sofa in the living room after I'd placed all of my shopping away. I'd wasted at least eight hours doing I didn't even know what. I barely remembered anything I had done through the day. After I'd tripped over the damn coffee table again, I settled myself down and decided to have a nap until Kyouya was back. It was bound to be in an hour or two, I would probably wake up as soon as the door was swung open. I wasn't going to have a full blown sleep, since that would have been pointless. I shifted into a comfortable position before letting my eyelids close.

My consciousness came back when I felt a stab of pain in my chest. I slammed my eyes open before I met Kyouya's surprised face, but it quickly dissolved into a scowl and his usual narrowed eyes. I blinked several times in confusion before letting my eyes trail down to the tonfas that were in his hands. I furrowed my eyebrows before sitting up. I pinched the bridge of my nose when I realized why he had hit me—I hadn't woken up when he'd come inside. Instead, I'd carried on peacefully sleeping when he'd strolled into the apartment.

I let out a small yawn before greeting him. "Hey, Kyouya."

"Cavallone," he acknowledged before edging towards the kitchen.

"What's the time?" I rubbed my left eye with the palm of my hand whilst walking towards the kitchen too. I had forgotten to eat during the day, my stomach was feeling even more uncomfortable.

Kyouya ignored my question. "Cavallone?"

"Huh?" I blinked.

Kyouya frowned before his eyes darted to something behind me. I slowly turned around, trying to wake myself up in the process, and saw that a yellow fluff ball was flying towards us. I was beyond taken aback when Hibird settled himself down onto my hair. I raised my hand slowly, trying not to scare him away, before I scratched his head gently.

"Hibari," he chirped.

I laughed before asking, "Is that all Hibird knows?"

"No." Kyouya smirked.

_At least it's not a scowl. _I grinned at him when I saw his mood had lifted, I wasn't feeling rolls of irritation radiating from him. That was definitely a good thing, I could possibly have a civil conversation with Kyouya and if I was blessed with good luck at that moment it would result in no violence. When Hibird started chirping an unknown song at me, I swore my jaw hit the floor. Kyouya's smirk had increased upon looking at my face, but I wasn't concerned with that at that moment. I didn't know what the song was; but _damn._

"I don't have a talking pet," I moaned.

Kyouya arched an eyebrow. "You have a pet?"

I laughed despite myself at that moment. "I do." I grinned before continuing. "You met him last night."

His eyes widened after I'd said that and I saw the smirk drop from his face. "The turtle?"

"Yup." Kyouya took a step back from me when I'd said this. "His name's Enzo. I'm not sure how he got in your shower though."

Kyouya muttered something, but I couldn't make out what it was. His eyes had moved to Hibird and I found myself frowning at his lack of responses now. I hadn't said anything wrong, but maybe it was just a bad reminder. I hadn't been hurt from barging in on him yesterday. Kyouya raised his index finger and moved it slightly, in a movement that was stupidly close to a beckoning signal. I scrunched my nose up whilst trying to keep my mind on relatively innocent things when I saw his frown increase. I understood what he was doing when Hibird jumped off of my shoulder and landed on his finger, he was simply calling Hibird. I had to twist it and imagine it in another situation.

I ran a hand through my hair whilst thinking about how to apologize. "Kyouya," I started. "I didn't walk in on you showering intentionally."

His eyes went back to staring into mine and I swore I felt my heartbeat increase. _Stop it! _Although his were narrowed, I could see some emotions spiralling inside them.

"I'm serious," I babbled. "I'm surprised you haven't knocked out a few of my teeth or even—"

"Where's Enzo?" he cut me off.

My face probably looked like a huge question mark until I processed his question. I raised my eyebrows whilst pointing towards my bedroom. I didn't know whether he was still on his blanket or not, but it seemed the best guess I could come up with. _Maybe Kyouya likes him? _We walked silently towards my room and I swore I was twitching. He hadn't intentionally come into my bedroom before, I couldn't remember whether I had clothes scattering the floor or not. _Why am I getting nervous? This is his apartment. _I wanted to clench my hair in my hands, but I was trying hard not to freak out. I could almost feel Kyouya's body heat behind me and I was still freaking out about the fact he was being civil. He'd only raised his tonfa against me once so far and that was to wake me up. Although our conversations weren't exactly lengthy, they were still there.

I reached down under my bed and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw he was still there. Although he was nibbling on the remains of his food, I picked him up and walked back over to Kyouya. I couldn't make out any of the emotions that were on his face, but I decided not to question it. Hibird had settled himself down onto Kyouya hair, so I bit my lip before throwing reason out of my head. I grabbed Kyouya hand before bringing it up and placing it palm up. I put Enzo in it before retracting my hand and mentally freaking out that I wasn't hurt. I sat down on my bed as I saw Kyouya stare down at him. Enzo simply stared back and I found myself trying to hold back a laugh. It was definitely a cute sight, even if Kyouya had a frown on his face at that moment. It was ridiculous that he was having a staring contest with a turtle, he wasn't even cracking a smile at it.

They stared at each other for a few more minutes and I had to cover my mouth with my hand, I couldn't stop myself from laughing. It became too much when I saw Kyouya's eye twitch before he set Enzo down on my bedside table. I let my laughs out and even clutched at my stomach, trying to lessen the need for air I was feeling. I could feel Kyouya's stare on my face and that made it even worse.

When I'd finally finished my laughing fit, I raised my head and saw Kyouya staring down at me. Although his mouth was set as a frown and his eyes were narrowed, I could see the glint of curiosity in them.

"N-nothing," I choked out whilst breathing in the precious air around me.

After I'd raised myself from the bed, I took a few steps towards him. I let my eyes trail over his face as I tried to test my resolve. I was trying to convince myself I didn't want him in that way anymore, but as I saw the way his eyelashes were casting a small shadow on his cheeks, I was slowly cracking. Even the frown that was featuring on his face was becoming attractive, it was only a curve of his lips, but even a small curve in the plump lips were becoming distracting. I was still admiring his creamy skin and jaw line when a glimpse of dark red caught my eye. It definitely wasn't a cut or a bruise, I could tell that from the rest of his body. Just beside his collar on his neck, there was a mark that was a dark red, almost purple. I furrowed my eyebrows slightly whilst trying to place where I'd seen one like it before.

When it hit me, I swore my mind went blank. It did take me what seemed like minutes of staring to figure out what it was. Even worse, when I realized it, I also remembered it was my own doing. I had to swallow roughly a few times whilst trying to keep my mind from becoming a mess. I grinned when I saw Kyouya arch an eyebrow. I'd forgotten I'd marked him, but it was a subtle reminder I needed. _Screw my resolve, I want him._

I kissed the rules a good bye before my grin became broader.

**AN: **who would like a lemon in the next chapter? Raise your hands! OOCness through the whole chapter, but I skipped a day of college to do this. I looked at the date and died inside. I'm so sorry! I _do _have reasons though, my computer died and then I somehow killed another. My notes got stolen through college, too. I've never wrote a lemon before, so it's probably going to be bad haha. I'm just warning you.


	13. Throbbing

**Chimchar: **I'm happy you liked it. C: *Evil cackle* **Beautiful Honest: **All of it is OOC, open your eyes! That was an enthusiastic hand raised there, haha. Thanks for the advice for the lemon! *nuzzles you* **Eyes17k: **:D! Of course he didn't forget! **ezzelin: **So I mean completely butcher Hibari, say it's AU character development and then live with all my fingers intact? SHITTING BRICKS. *Cringes at lemon* **Ninjabandgeek: **Holy crap, you crazy thing you. Calm down, you're almost shitting rainbows with them bricks! **I Like To Stalk You: **Haha, thank you. It's good to be back! ;) My computer decides to PMS every now and then—or is it just pregnant? Hmmm. **fuwacchi: **Damnit, you mentioned chapter two. I blushed so hard haha. *Slaps cheeks* Moving on! You always make me smile like an idiot! I made your day, wow! :D The blue was just a little hint. Mukuro picking up milk, haha. L: I LIKED YOUR LONG REVIEW, OKAY? OKAY. *Breathes* You can't have an update until you have grey hairs. That is all. **D18loyalfan: **You made me smile. **alguien22792: **You're so blunt it makes me giggle, haha. Mega love for you! **18plusForMe: **Oho. **That's Riku: **Just to torture you personally. ;) **Lawlie-sama: **You're the only one concerned about Hibari! GET INTO THE REJECT CORNER! I kid, I kid. **mpiedz: **You lemon fiend you. **Mad Exorcism: **Pimp slap your English teacher. That's all I have to say. I hate vague details so I get carried away sometimes! D: I bet the thief looked at like them 'Bitch, what?' Just imagining their face makes me laugh, haha.

**I don't own Kateikyoushi. **

Chapter thirteen—Throbbing

**HPOV**

The urge to gulp was getting increasingly higher as I saw the grin creep across Cavallone's lips, that wasn't the only feature that was scaring me at that moment. If anything, I could see something within his eyes had changed. We weren't up in each other's faces but it was clear even from our distance. I swore the hairs on the back of my neck were twitching, almost standing up from just staring at him. His eyes weren't the dull colour they had been for most of the day, instead; they almost seemed to be a smouldering chocolate as I was staring at him.

"Are you bipolar?" I frowned.

Trying to hold back a laugh he said, "I hope not."

He really had to be or my mind was simply warped at regular intervals. Earlier through the day my mind went back to thinking he was almost suave, especially when I'd came back into the apartment to get my jacket this morning. Just raising his hand to awkwardly wave looked elegant; as soon as I'd thought that, I had bitten down onto my cheek hard enough to draw blood. It irked me to no end that I wasn't a threat anymore. I was even beginning to doubt if he ever viewed me as one. After our fight, he was absolutely _fine _with strolling into my bathroom and even lingering more than necessary. I felt my left eye twitch as I thought about it again. I had to admit, his turtle was amusing. The strange little thing was settled by the many bottles of shampoo before it fell and somehow dragged other objects with it. _A klutz just like its owner. _

When he took a few steps towards me, still with that damn smile etched onto his face, I swore the pounding in my chest got even harder. It was definitely painful—it was always present whenever Cavallone was—if I could get rid of it, I would've already. I could hear my pulse echoing inside my ears as took enough steps so he was almost pressed up against me. Even from our minuscule distance, I could clearly feel the heat from his body.

"Hey, Kyouya?"

I shot him a glare as an answer.

"You do still remember last night, right?" Cavallone asked.

If I was worried about his expression before, now I was panicking internally. His grin had become lopsided, but even worse than that his stare seemed more personal than before. He didn't scan my face as he had done many times in the past; instead Cavallone was only staring into my eyes. I wasn't comfortable with it.

Averting my eyes, I stared at the door beside me before briefly nodding. I thought by doing this I would at least keep some of my pride, it was better than admitting I had lost out loud. I wasn't at all prepared for that. I was feeling cautious as that moment. It wasn't even twenty-four hours after the fight and Cavallone already wanted to claim something as his prize. With that thought it my mind and taking his stare into account, I had a feeling I wouldn't like how this would turn out.

Casting a stray glance back in his direction, I saw him biting down on his lips, looking almost as though he was internally debating something. The calculative expression on his face made me wary. I preferred the one I'd saw earlier that day even if I felt like I was intruding by seeing it. I hadn't expected to walk into the apartment and see him sprawled across the couch sleeping peacefully. For once, Cavallone looked perfectly relaxed when his eyes were closed and his chest was rising gently. Even with his mouth open a tiny amount to let the puffs of air out, he looked mature. I really did feel like I was intruding, even though it was my damn home. I did regret waking him up after he'd groaned, I swore that kind of sound wasn't supposed to be made after being woken up.

"Then I can get anything I want," Cavallone trailed off with his voice becoming softer at the end.

"Stop stating the obvious." I narrowed my eyes at him.

Running a hand—that I swore was shaking as he raised it—through his hand, it seemed he finally stripped his face of the calculative expression. Instead, I could almost see determination burning within his deep irides as he stared at my face.

Darting his tongue quickly out of his mouth, he efficiently dampened his lips. "Have I got any limitations?"

"You're the one who proposed the deal, Herbivore," I reminded him with a hint of annoyance in my tone. It was frustrating to no end that he seemed to be enjoying rubbing in my loss, it should've been perfectly obvious I wasn't going to go back on my word.

"You're not going to hate me, are you?"

He shuffled forward a few centimetres.

Arching an eyebrow, I replied with, "I don't particularly like you." _You cause my mind to go weird—my chest, too._

"Oh?"

Another shuffle.

I could feel his breath hitting my face—the warm puffs were not welcome; they felt almost as if they were fanning me. I swore our chests were pressed against each other from our almost impossible distance at that moment. Even his scent was invading my nostrils at that moment, everything about him was attacking me. The hairs on the back of my neck were definitely standing up at that point. Averting my eyes again, I attempted to stare at the wall beyond his left shoulder. It was a subtle flicker of my eyes, but it seemed to have caught his attention.

My heartbeat had to be audible at that moment, it was echoing inside my head, but the worst part was that I was sure he could feel it. After all, we were almost pressed together. He had to be a damn idiot not to notice it. I couldn't bring myself to look at him as I felt his stare on my face become even more intense. _This is awkward. _Awkward was definitely an understatement. My pride was holding me back from taking a few steps back and simply running away from the situation, but I _wasn't _going to be a pansy and run away. Cavallone moved again, but this time it couldn't be classed a shuffle. He simply made sure our bodies really were touching at that point, I doubted there were any spaces for air to fit in between us. Internally cringing, I racked my brain for any ideas on what exactly Cavallone was doing. The answer I came up with seemed possible.

He was trying to humiliate me—my heartbeat could hardly be ignored at that moment; he must've taken notice of it awhile ago. Pushing the situation to see how far he could get before I snapped. A frown tugged on my lips as I mulled over my theory. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of an uncharacteristic outburst. I wasn't about to break down right in front of him.

"Close your eyes," Cavallone said when his mouth was dangerously close to my ear.

With my eye twitching in annoyance again, I spat out my answer. "No."

"Kyouya, I believe you have to listen to me." The fact that his voice sounded almost _husky _at that moment had me panicking internally.

"No," I repeated. _Fighting and only getting me to close my eyes? That's ridiculous._ There had to be a hidden motive in him. Still standing firm in my position, I looked back at his face with determination burning in my eyes. I was not going to let him have the upper hand anymore.

After sighing to himself, Cavallone tried to reason with me. "You're only closing your eyes."

"What exactly will you gain from that, Herbivore?" I retorted.

A small smile that played on his lips was the only answer I received. We stared at each other for what seemed like minutes as I was pondering my options inside my mind, it really did seem like he only wanted me to close my eyes. During our staring, I did realize something else that deepened my foul mood. I had to_ tilt_ my head up to look at him properly.

"Fine," I spat after a few moments.

After eyeing Cavallone warily for a few more seconds, I clenched my hands into fists at my sides before slamming my eyelids shut. Trying to make my heartbeat quieter so I could hear exactly what he was doing, I didn't show the confusion on my face when I didn't feel his warmth in front of me anymore. I assumed he'd stepped back—finally—and given me some space. _What the hell is he doing? _My internal question was answered when I felt a weight lifted off of my shoulders. It took more time than necessary for me to process what he did; all I could figure out was that was jacket had been removed. The rest of my clothing was still intact though, it wasn't even touched in the the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up again due to the fact I could feel his stare prodding my face, making my skin tingle, I let my eyelids open again. The first sight I saw was Cavallone's grinning face. It wasn't like the other grins I'd seen that day, it looked mischievous. A little smug too; even his eyes seemed to be smug.

"Closing my eyes accomplished what exactly?" I asked in a simple monotone voice.

"Quite a lot," the blonde chuckled.

_He's finally lost it. _I let a smirk form on my face from the thought. Literally shrugging his strange behaviour off of my shoulders, I pivoted on my heel and started walking outside the room. I'd left the door open after I'd come inside anyway, I had better things to do then stay in his room and watch him lose his mind even more. Though it would probably be interesting at certain points, all the staring was getting increasingly uncomfortable. I had to admit, it was even more uncomfortable to hear Cavallone start laughing behind me. It was like earlier as well, he'd laughed randomly without even explain himself. I turned around and felt my eyes widen when I saw he was even holding his stomach whilst letting his laughter out. I felt like I was the cause of his laughter—I had to be.

Stopping my actions from before, I walked back into the room with a scowl on my face whilst my eyes were narrowed. I crossed my arms over my chest before staring at him, obviously implying I wanted him to explain.

"Herbivore?" I called.

Finally straightening up, Cavallone plastered the same grin as before on his face, the one that looked smug. I felt my eye twitch as he walked past me, shooting a glance in my direction on the way, and closed the door behind me. He simply leant against it whilst looking at me again. I swore the irritating feeling within my chest was screeching at his expression.

"Kyouya," Cavallone started. "Do you want to know something?" He asked whilst averting his eyes, choosing to look at something to the right side of the room.

I raised an eyebrow, showing I was slightly intrigued. I wasn't expecting him to start spouting anything along the lines of a confession. After a few deafening seconds of silence, I moved from my spot on the floor. I settled myself down on his bed, just perched on the end with my arms still crossed over my chest; waiting for him to carry on with whatever he wanted to say. When I was still receiving no continuation, I gently tapped my right foot against the floor. I didn't have all the time in the world to give him; if he didn't start talking in less than a minute I really was going to just walk out. _Why am I even here? _I wouldn't normally give him the time of day if I had a choice, but this time I had willingly sat down and waited for him to start talking. It was as though I wanted to be in his presence. _No, I don't. I'm just intrigued. That's all. _I kept repeating that inside my head as I waited. Cavallone's smug smile had been replaced with another one, it was small, but I could make it out from our distance. I didn't move at all, when Cavallone eventually crossed the room and sat down beside me. As he moved across the room, I swore with every step me took, my stomach was twisting into knots. I was put off by our lack of space, I could feel his knee brushing against mine. Even though my eye was twitching from the contact and constant crowding from him, I refused to move. It was the same as earlier; my pride stopped me from doing it. It seemed Cavallone was still out to humiliate me.

"I'm attracted to you," Cavallone started whilst turning his head to face me. "More than I should be." If I sucked in the breath I really wanted to at that moment, I probably would've started to choke. I felt my eyes widen at his statement; but I absolutely refused to believe it. I somehow convinced myself I'd replaced his real words with crap due to my state of mind at that moment, that had to be it. "I like you, Kyouya."

I wanted nothing more than to walk out of the room and bang my head against the nearest wall possible, forget about the incident and live my life biting useless people to death. Apparently, that wasn't what I could do. I couldn't regard his words as a lie either, even if I wanted to, the damn blush that was staining his cheeks had to be supporting his words. Closing my eyes, I pinched the bridge of my nose whilst thinking about what the hell just happened. The fact that my heart seemed just about ready to jump out of my chest had me furrowing my eyebrows; even worse than that, I wasn't bothered by our distance anymore, I wasn't wary of it either. I didn't understand it one bit and I really did want to bang my head against a real wall; the imaginary one in my mind wasn't suitable anymore. The real thing was what I needed. I clenched my left hand into a fist, just out of sight of Cavallone, and was contemplating whether or not to smash it into his face. It would be satisfying to see it make contact, but I'd already caused more than enough damage.

"What's your point?" I asked whilst staring at the wall behind him, after I'd removed my hand from my nose.

"Eh?"

Instead of repeating myself, I frowned, closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose again. I was getting more irritated by the second, yet I didn't want to leave. Inside my mind, I was definitely panicking. I'd spoken to Cavallone on a daily basis more than anyone else in probably my whole life. If I was getting attached to him, even in the slightest, I would gladly bite myself to death instead of anyone else. I was becoming pathetic. Many things had made me pathetic, but the important details were that they were all caused my Cavallone; he seemed to be the catalyst to my herbivore-like reactions. _Bastard. _My frown transformed into a scowl in less than a second; just my continuing my line of thought, I was getting pissed off. I swore I could even feel the thunderclouds that were forming above my head.

My eyes flew open when I was pushed down onto my back. I wasn't expecting him to move, I didn't even _hear _him move. There was no rustling of clothing or anything remotely similar until I felt the warmth of his hands through my shirt. He had to have seen the alarm that was plastered across my face for a second; I didn't hide it quickly enough. I immediately moved my arms back down to my sides, put my palms down on the mattress and started to push myself up again. I didn't like being in that vulnerable position, especially if it was in front of Cavallone. When I looked up, all I could see was his face above me. Before I could fully push myself up and leave the room, he pushed my shoulders again, resulting in my falling back down and hitting the mattress. This time, Cavallone had the nerve to climb on top of me, with one hand holding onto my left wrist whilst the other supporting him, making sure he could stay up in the air and not fall down onto me. I narrowed my eyes up at him before I let a growl make its way out of my throat. I wasn't happy about our position or the fact I'd let my guard down enough for him to get the upper hand and take control.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

Instead of an answer, Cavallone moved his face closer to mine. I could feel the warm puffs of air fanning across my face again, but even worse than that I could clearly see his eyes from our distance. They were smouldering like earlier, but this time with a different emotion. The urge to gulp had come back with a vengeance, but I refused to acknowledge it, instead I narrowed my eyes and stared back at him.

"Be quiet," he purred. I refused to acknowledge the heat developing on my cheeks when I heard his tone, too.

I opened my mouth to retort with a threat, but I never got to voice it out. Instead, a strangled breath made its way out when Cavallone crashed his lips against mine. I could clearly feel his nose brushing against my cheek almost painfully and the way his lips were almost scraping against mine. I blinked a couple of times, attempting to bring myself back to the present when I felt him harshly moving his soft lips against mine, trying to coax me into kissing him back like I'd done before. It didn't matter that I was internally freaking out before; at that moment, my mind simply went blank. I simply pushed out any of my reasons or my threat that was at the tip of my tongue due to the fact I was curious where this was going. Cavallone actually had the nerve to simply brush my bottom lip with his tongue for a few painfully slow seconds before plunging it inside. I didn't mind him prodding inside my mouth, occasionally rubbing against a sensitive spot. When I moved my right hand to twist into his blond hair, I finally started to respond. As I fisted it into a handful, I roughly pressed my own tongue against his in what probably seemed like a mangled attempt to gain some dominance. I wasn't dominant in our positions, in anything at all yet, I wanted control of one thing.

When he sucked lightly on my tongue, I was mortified when a moan ripped out of my throat. Even worse, I could clearly see the twinkle it brought into his eyes. I narrowed my eyes at him before I tugged my left hand out of his grasp, trying to find a useful place for it. My goal was completely forgotten when I felt something lightly press against my groin. I retracted myself away from the kiss, immediately trying to ignore the thick trail of saliva that was connecting us as I did so, and shot an incredulous glance at Cavallone. He'd positioned himself throughout our kiss; his right leg was between mine that his knee was pressed lightly against my groin. _Why am I allowing this? _I felt my eyes widen when I realized I'd hadn't showed any signs of protest against his advances.

"Get off," I growled.

Cavallone grinned above me before he placed his right hand on my cheek. I narrowed my eyes at him when I felt his fingers gently brushing against my jaw. As he moved his head back down towards me, I moved away distastefully, not wanting to kiss him again. I tried to frown when I felt Cavallone's breath at my ear and then his teeth gently grazing the flesh there, adding in the occasion nip every few seconds.

_Why haven't I hurt him?_

"No way," he whispered huskily into my ear. "I'm not letting you go."

Our lips connected again, but this time instead of waiting for approval, Cavallone simply let his appendage inside my mouth straight away. I almost choked on some of my saliva when he moved his hand to the back of my head, attempting to make the kiss even deeper. I could feel him hum in approval—shocking me with the vibrations—when I didn't bother to protest this time either. I had to be losing my mind at that moment; I wasn't protesting when Cavallone was possibly trying to impale my tonsils. Another moan was building up in the back of my throat when he was roughly tugging against my tongue, trying to get me to respond to him. I simply let my eyes widen whilst staring into his lust dominated ones and pretended to be a limp mess. I didn't want this, even if my body had other opinions, such as the heat spiralling down lower from my stomach, I wasn't remotely ready for anything so intimate. _I'm not going to do this._ I jerked my head back, efficiently ending the kiss with more force than was needed. I hissed at the sharp pain in my neck, but quickly ignore it when I heard Cavallone sigh to himself above me. I clenched my hand that was in his hair into a fist again before removing it, choosing to put both hands palm down and attempt to sit up again.

"Kyouya," Cavallone sighed.

I glared at him as fiercely as I could when I was regaining my breath; I hoped it conveyed that if he didn't move from his position above me anytime soon I was going to probably slam his head between a closing door.

"Can't you just be honest?" His smile turned lopsided as he got up from his position and stood beside the bed.

Averting my gaze, I lifted myself up from the bed. I could still feel the heat spiralling inside my stomach and even the subtle tingling down below. Even if my pulse wasn't throbbing inside my head at that moment, I could clearly feel it further down. Gritting my teeth, I brushed the imaginary dirt off of my uniform before I stood up. I refused to glance in Cavallone's direction; still utterly mortified with myself for allowing what had happened a few moments ago. If I was thinking straight, I would've kicked him in the stomach the moment he'd come too close. It didn't even occur to me to do it earlier; in fact, I was almost _welcoming _him to come into my personal bubble. I needed to slap my cheeks in private before attempting to return to normal.

I internally flinched—or at least I hoped it was internally—when I heard his low voice just beside my ear. "You're being stubborn, Kyouya."

"Stubborn?" I questioned. _Stubborn? I just don't want to be intimate, thank you; especially with you of all people._

"I didn't want to do this."

I arched an eyebrow, but it quickly lost its posture when I felt something cold wrap around my wrists from behind me. I knew the feeling of the material—it was hard to forget after it was wrapped around me tightly yesterday. Before I could fully comprehend what had happened, I was back on the bed with Cavallone on top of me, but with my arms raised above my head, being tugged back into the bedpost where the whip was wrapped around.

My eye twitched. "You're kidding."

Cavallone merely laughed it off before shrugging lightly, raising his hands in the gesture for added effect. I narrowed my eyes at him when I felt him adjust the whip around my wrists, making sure I couldn't move away. My eyes widened in understanding when I saw the mischievous glittering back in Cavallone's eyes. It did make sense why he'd asked me to close my eyes earlier. If I didn't have any weapons on me, he automatically had the upper hand. I bit down on the inside of my cheek in fury when I realized I wasn't even remotely bothered I wasn't wearing my jacket. I thought I'd earned at least a little respect from last night; but _no. _Not even twenty-four hours later and Cavallone had tied me to his fucking bed. I gulped.

Even if I was tied at that moment, I refused to let my pride go. I wouldn't kick him, it would just seem like a strangled attempt of batting him away. I wouldn't be able to move anyway. Lightly clucking my tongue in disgust, I watched Cavallone's every movement through narrowed eyes.

When his lips brushed gently against mine again, I slammed my teeth down and refused to let his tongue enter. I wasn't going to respond if I could help it, I hadn't agreed to this in the slightest. He carried on brushing against me whilst changing his position to the earlier one, except this time one of his hands was undoing the buttons of my shirt. I bit down on the inside of my cheek again, trying to ignore when Cavallone trailed his kisses down onto my neck, eventually getting to the same spot he'd marked the other day. My eyes widened when he bit down onto it, I even had to bite down on my tongue when a hiss was trying to make its way out of my throat. I wasn't expecting there to be pleasure mixed in with the pain. My body involuntarily jerked forward when I felt his tongue gently lick over the same place he'd bitten, as if trying to sooth the pain that had erupted.

"Kyouya?" he called between sucking on my neck and adding in bites.

I didn't answer; I glowered darkly at him. My shirt was pushed to my sides at that point, all the buttons undone as Cavallone gently traced my stomach with his fingers. He wasn't looking up at me, but instead looking down at my body, as if trying to memorize my appearance. I was definitely embarrassed at that moment. I wasn't open enough for someone to be this close to me without permission, even if I was starting to trust him the tiny amount, it was still wrong to me. I could feel my cheeks starting to heat up again and even worse, my raging heartbeat was back. He could hear it at that moment without a doubt, it was deafening in my own ears.

"Still being stubborn?" he whispered huskily into my ear.

I inwardly cringed at his tone, but kept the determination showing on my face. I wasn't going to crack, I hoped he'd give up soon enough.

"Ah!" I wanted to stab myself in the thigh with a kitchen knife when I gasped out loud. I didn't notice Cavallone's hand eventually travelling lower, but I did notice it when it roughly cupped my member through my clothing. I could hear him chuckle from above me and I mentally cursed, hating myself for losing my composure already. Slamming my lips shut, I refused to even look at him. Instead, I moved my head to the side and started to look at the wall. _Think about something else. _Even though I had irritating reaction down there a few minutes ago, it was being encouraged by Cavallone's actions in the last few minutes. I really did hate being adolescent sometimes.

Whilst I tugged on the whip in a vain attempt to free myself, Cavallone was tugging on something else. He'd removed his hand from its earlier position and started to toy with the button of my trousers, eventually carrying onto start unzipping them. I was sure an uncomfortable expression was visible on my face, but it was still turned to the side. If anything, I didn't want Cavallone to take notice of it.

"Kyouya," Cavallone breathed. "Look at me."

Scowling to myself, I refused to turn my head to look at him. I could feel my cheeks burning with humiliation at that moment. It was definitely what he wanted—once he saw it, he was bound taunt me with his victory. The bastard was calculative, I could give him that. His fingers eventually tugged on my chin, turning my face around to look at him. My eyes widened in surprise when I saw his face was closer to mine than I thought. Our noses were almost touching from the lack of distance. His gaze softened when he took in my expression and I found myself furrowing my eyebrows slightly at it. It was a completely different reaction from what I was expecting.

Between the warm puffs of air hitting my face and my heart awkwardly echoing inside my head, I simply stared into his eyes. Although there was a glint of lust within them, I could see something else. When Cavallone moved forward to press his lips against mine, he didn't break eye contact with me. It was awkward staring at him as I felt his lips gently brush against mine, but even more so when his tongue eventually found its way into my mouth. When I was panting from the lack of air I was receiving, I became aware that I needed to blink. I blinked harshly a few times and stopped making eye contact, completely looking off to the side, avoiding looking back at Cavallone. I could still feel him prodding inside my mouth and for some reason, I was responding. I had been for that whole time—gently letting my tongue brush against his, not even bothering to attempt to coax him into letting me dominate the kiss. He'd removed the hand from my face and let it trail to the nape of my neck, pushing my head to another angle to make the kiss deeper. I didn't internally panic when moans were forcing their way out of my throat at regular intervals. If anything, they seemed to make it better, adding the light vibrations into our movements.

The kiss was broken, along with the bond of saliva, when I felt his warm hand wrap around my arousal. I hadn't even noticed through the kiss that he'd managed to remove my trousers and even my boxers. I felt my eyes widen when I saw him smirk before placing a chaste peck on my lips, then moving down to start marking my neck again.

_Why am I not fighting this?_

I hadn't noticed that he'd removed his shirt.

My face was burning when Cavallone slowly starting moving his hand, almost in a teasing manner. I could feel him smirking against my neck, but what embarrassed me more than anything was the fact that my breaths were coming out shorter and faster with every second that passed. I was biting down on my lip hard enough to draw blood, trying not to cry out as his hand slowly reached the end of my member. Even if it was excruciatingly slow, it felt completely out of this world. I'd masturbated before, of course, but it felt entirely different when someone else was involved.

"Nnn—" I gasped when I felt his fingertip glide against my tip.

Clenching my restrained hands into fists, I tried to hold back any similar noises from coming out. Apparently, I wasn't successful, they were coming out almost as much as my pants of breath.

"Kyouya," I could hear Cavallone murmur against my neck before biting down on a sensitive section of flesh.

I swore I choked on the air going into my lungs at that moment, just as he bit down on my neck, he also delivered a harsh tug that almost had me curling my toes in an attempt not to cry out. With my face flaming, I gasped. "A-ah."

Placing a small bite on my jaw, Cavallone remarked, "I think you're enjoying this."

I didn't trust myself with words at that moment, so I opted for a growl instead. Just as it was making its way out of my throat, Cavallone moved his hands again, this time starting to pump my arousal at a faster pace. My growl definitely became incoherent for a moment before it turned into a fully fledged moan, my cheeks were definitely burning in embarrassment.

"I'll take that as a yes," he lowly whispered into my ear.

My eyes slammed themselves shut when Cavallone increased his pace again. I swore my fingernails had blood embedded underneath them from the amount of force I was putting into my clenched fists, I was still trying to hold back my noises. I wasn't aware that I had left my mouth hanging open, but I did notice when he slipped his appendage inside without any warning and efficiently wrapped it around my own, tugging it in rhythm with my arousal. My mind was definitely a mess at that moment; I couldn't even make sense of anything inside it when I could feel myself getting close.

"Nn—" I moaned when he trailed a finger tip over the top, almost tickling with how soft his touch was.

"Guess what?" I heard him whisper huskily beside my ear.

My coherent reply never came; instead, he received a strangled groan of pleasure as I found myself writhing below him. "Ahh!"

When I felt the heat down below almost become excruciating, my eyes flew open. I wasn't greeted with the sight of his chocolate irides, but instead a mop of blond hair. Cavallone was still sucking on my neck whilst one hand had embedded itself within my hair. The sensation of my skin moving between his lips was soon forgotten when I felt my mind go completely blank. I stopped writhing underneath him as I came with a painful gasp of breath. Just as that was happening, Cavallone had bit down on my collarbone, hard enough that I was sure there were teeth marks embedded into my skin.

"Mine," he growled.

As I tried to regain my breath in heavy pants, I became aware of the white liquid that was scattered across my stomach, but mostly placed upon his hand. I didn't need to check to know my face was flushed at that moment; from the lack of air, embarrassment and the whole damn situation. I turned my attention back to Cavallone when I heard a chuckle above me.

The sight that greeted me had my cheeks flaming even more with my lips tugging down into a frown. At least, it would've been a frown if I had my breathing under control at that moment. Instead, my mouth was open, letting out puffs of air quicker than I could blink. Cavallone was staring at my face again, but his eyes seemed almost half-lidded at that moment. That wasn't what caught me off guard though; he was licking the white substance off of his fingers, painfully slowly whilst trying not to break eye contact with me. I merely stared back at him; I had no clue what type of expression I had on my face. All I knew was I was beyond humiliated. I watched in horror as Cavallone leant forward, but not this time to my face. He'd settled his body between my legs at some point—I hadn't even noticed they were either side of him—and was slowly leaning down to make contact with my stomach. I was sure I was cringing on the outside instead of inwardly when I saw his tongue dart out of his mouth and gently lick up the liquid. It was even worse when I could feel the warm appendage across my skin. I choked back a moan when I felt his fingertips lightly brush against my thighs and the hand that was in my hair fell to help keep him in position.

I'd finally regained my breath when he'd finished licking the substance off of me. I was definitely frowning at that moment, simply staring at him waiting to see what he would do next.

_Why am I not hurting him?_

Lust driven eyes were the only thing visible.

"Kyouya," he drawled out my name, making me internally cringe even more at my first name.

As Cavallone was dangerously close above me, I finally took notice of the images that were scattered across his left side, trailing from his hand up to his neck. I hadn't paid attention to them in other situations, only caught glimpses, but now that he was closer—too close for comfort, to be exact—I could clearly see that they had a meaning to them. After all, they were intertwined. I could make a few of the images, such as a skull and a horse, but I didn't get enough time to admire the rest.

"Kyouya," Cavallone said again. This time, I turned my stare back onto his face, showing he didn't need to keep repeating the same thing over again. "You look sexy right now."

My eye twitched for the first time in awhile.

"Now then," Cavallone smirked, the twinkle completely dominating his irides. "Shall we continue?"

_Continue? He wants to fucking continue? _I was slowly becoming hysterical inside my mind and I was sure my eyes had widened in reality, processing his rhetorical question inside my mind.

Before I could voice my opinion, or protest even in the slightest for the first time in awhile, he crashed his lips back down onto mine. I groaned into his mouth when I felt his tongue enter again, roughly stroking against my appendage in an attempt to get me to forget about my opinion. When he withdrew, I was panting again, but it definitely irked me that I seemed to be the only one out of breath. Cavallone was breathing perfectly fine whilst staring down at me. I involuntarily shivered when I saw the calculative expression feature itself on his face again, with the exception of his eyes. They were still lust dominated as they roamed over my body. When I felt his fingertips on my lips, I scowled down at them in confusion, too embarrassed about what had happened between us to even talk at that moment.

"Suck," Cavallone demanded lowly.

I merely shot him an incredulous glance, but it failed to reach his attention. He was too busy lowering his head back down to my chest and I inwardly cringed, hoping he wasn't going to bite into my neck anymore. It felt raw at that moment; quite a few of the places that he'd made contact with were stinging. I swore a few of them were bleeding, I could feel the small trails of liquid. I blinked harshly when I felt his fingertips prodding my lips, almost demanding entrance into my mouth. I pressed my lips into a tight line, still refusing them entry.

When I was caught off guard by Cavallone biting down on my nipple roughly, his fingers finally gained entrance into my mouth. I almost started choking from the sudden intrusion, almost inhaling my saliva from the shock. I made no move to do anything to them, just simply left them hanging inside my mouth awkwardly whilst the throbbing of my right nipple increased. All I could feel was pain at that moment—or at least, until I felt his wet appendage gently flick it with the utmost care.

"Ahh," I accidently voiced my opinion on how it felt.

I slammed my eyes shut in humiliation when I felt Cavallone's hair brushing my stomach, obviously indicating where he was heading. I didn't even have time to numbly protest before I could feel his breath fanning me in a place where I never wanted him to be. I bit down on my cheek, narrowly missing his fingers, when I felt his teeth lightly graze against my inner thigh. After a few subtle bites, licks and even a few kisses eventually trailing nearer and nearer by arousal, I was reminded of his demand when Cavallone pushed his fingertips further into my mouth again.

_Why haven't I threatened him? _

I didn't know why exactly I followed his demand in the end, but I eventually did do it. I gave a hesitant lick to his fingertip as I felt his breath gently fan my arousal. Even if he giving me unwanted attention down there, my body was responding. I felt the painful twitch my member gave before the throbbing came back, resulting in most of the blood to start trailing down below. I coughed awkwardly from the saliva building up at the back of my throat—his fingers within my mouth were making it increasingly difficult to swallow. I gave his fingers an experimental suck, almost testing the waters to see how awkward it would be to do. My cheeks were flaming with the little amount of blood I had left in my face, but it quickly flamed more when I felt Cavallone apply a tentative lick down below. Involuntarily, my hips jerked forward from the sensation, seeking more of it immediately. My eyes widened at the feeling, it felt completely different to what I had experienced earlier. I could feel the cold air assaulting me where his tongue had been a few moments ago, making my body shiver from the immediate difference in temperature.

Cavallone licked me again, but this time from the base, eventually trailing all the way to my tip, lingering slightly before removing himself and letting out a small chuckle at my reaction.

It was involuntary, but I let out a sharp gasp of pleasure. "A-ah!"

Again, to remind me of my task, Cavallone's fingers pressed even further into my mouth. I did choke at the saliva in my throat at that point, I coughed a few times before swallowing roughly, trying to get rid of the liquid. Internally cringing to myself, I licked his fingers again experimentally, seeing if Cavallone would continue his earlier actions if I continued too.

Apparently, I was correct. If I did something for him, he'd do something for me. This time, he blew a puff of air around the end of my member, causing my hips to jerk up from the sensation again. I even shivered from the feeling, but ignored it, continuing to suck lightly onto his fingers. When I'd licked in between his index finger and the middle one, it was apparently a good thing. That was the only reasoning I could come up with. The next thing I knew, I could feel heat all around my member, wetness covering it and a slick appendage roughly moving up and down.

"Nnn—" The moan ripped out of my throat before I could even acknowledge it. "A-aah!"

I could feel his tongue gliding over my arousal, sometimes even his teeth lightly grazing against it and I swore my mind had turned into mush. I wasn't even attempting to suck on his fingers anymore—I probably looked like a moron with my mouth hanging open and eyes wide, but the sensations that I were feeling at that moment were overpowering. I didn't know whether I loathed him even more for introducing me to them, but I couldn't care less at that moment. I found myself lifting my hips up in a weak attempt of finding more pleasure with every stroke that he created. Even though I should've felt more humiliated than ever before in my life, I was enjoying it; I let my eyes slam shut as I tried to lose myself in the pleasure. I knew I probably wouldn't feel it again; after all, a hand couldn't create this type of feeling.

"Ahh." I moaned from the lack of contact when he'd removed his mouth. I was so close as well—I could feel my release approaching. The cold air attacked my flesh again and I shivered, not sure whether I found the drop in temperature pleasant or not. Cavallone placed one last lick onto my tip before withdrawing, also removing his fingers from my mouth. I was still panting from the experience, but my annoyance levels were rising. I was so damn _close _and he had to stop.

I opened my eyes to shoot a glare in his direction, but instead I found his face only centimetres away from my own. I shivered involuntarily from the feeling of his breath on my face, but still tried to keep my irritated expression on my face.

"Now now, Kyouya," Cavallone smirked. "I'll pleasure you in a different way."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, but they became limp as my eyes widened in horror at what was happening. I could feel something wet trailing across my backside, almost in a teasing manner, eventually settling itself in front of something that should never be touched in this type of situation.

There were many things wrong with the situation at that point, but I couldn't even voice out my opinion of horror at that moment. I was literally speechless, unwilling to believe what exactly was happening. Glancing up at his chocolate half-lidded eyes did nothing to reassure me, if anything, it made me eternally panic even more. When I felt one of his fingers prod me experimentally, I bit down my tongue in shock.

Even if it was only half of his finger, it was uncomfortable as hell.

Finally finding my voice, I hissed my first words of protest. "What the hell are you doing?"

Cavallone only blinked a few times, almost tauntingly slowly as I waited for an answer, before arching one of his eyebrows.

I narrowed my eyes in warning, trying to tell him not to go any further. "I'll bite you to death," I hissed.

"Oh?" he chuckled.

I couldn't even voice out another threat before he placed his lips onto mine. I set out a grunt of protest, but I was thankful that his finger hadn't moved since I'd spoken. Even though it wasn't removed, it at least wasn't inching further in. As I felt his tongue gently slip across my lower lip, I clenched my lips together in protest. It seemed I'd finally came to my senses—that I needed to get out of the situation before this could go any further.

Unintentionally, I writhed uncomfortably when Cavallone's digit started to move inside me. Almost acting as if he'd slipped, I felt it move up within me until his knuckle grazed against the flesh of my backside. It was definitely unwelcome within there, it was too big anyway—I could feel myself stretching uncomfortably as Cavallone tried to force his tongue into my mouth; probably trying to distract me from the task he was trying to accomplish down below. I let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief when I felt his finger gently withdraw itself from within me. Even if it was painfully slow, it was still going. I could nurse my bruised pride later when I was in a safe room, preferably away from Cavallone for awhile.

"Relax," Cavallone purred between his assaults on my mouth.

I shot him an incredulous glare when I processed his one word sentence.

_Shit. _

Before I could even attempt to jerk my body away from him, his finger prodded me again, but this time with another companion. I let my mouth open wide as well as my eyes when I felt the pain rip through me. A growl was making its way out of my throat at his actions, but a groan of pain quickly demolished it when I felt his knuckles against me again.

"Stop it," I growled.

My demand had the opposite effect; instead of making him retreat and move away from me, he pulled fingers out almost all of the way before slamming them back in, curling the ends slightly, stretching me as much as possible. A hiss of pain escaped my mouth as I felt his fingers move repeatedly inside me, almost scratching against my flesh in an attempt to make me feel more comfortable. I looked up to see if I could see any sadistic undertones on Cavallone's face, but all I could see was his irides looking impossibly bright as he stared down at me.

"It'll get better," he tried to assure me. I attempted to shoot him an incredulous glare. "Trust me."

Before I could protest again, or even threaten him, he'd crashed our lips together. I didn't get to close mine together in time, resulting in his tongue darting inside, immediately entangling itself to mine. It was at least getting my mind off of what was happening down below, I could still feel the pain radiating from there, especially when another finger was added, but it was eventually becoming dull.

"Nnn—" I unintentionally moaned into the kiss, causing vibrations to make it even better, I closed my eyes from the sensations. I didn't know why I had moaned, but a flash of pleasure shot itself through my body. I could definitely feel the twitch it resulted in. I became wary when I felt Cavallone smirk into the kiss before bringing his fingers out again.

When they slammed back in with ease and hit a similar spot to before, I broke the kiss to let out a moan. "A-ah!" I could feel the saliva that had bonded us together rest itself on my chin, eventually trailing down to my neck. I internally shuddered, hating the feeling of the wet on my skin. I breathed a shaky sigh of relief when I felt his fingers retract from inside me completely; my backside was throbbing from the activity it was involved in. Opening my eyes again, the first thing I saw was Cavallone smiling down at me, but he was further away than he had been for awhile. I breathed another sigh of relief that he had eventually grown tired and wanted to stop—I did want to just take a shower and then sleep. I would maybe feed Hibird too, that seemed a good idea.

When I heard the sound of a zipper, my eyes widened before looking for the source of the sound.

Seeing Cavallone stripping himself of his cargo pants was not what I wanted to see. I averted my eyes to rest on the ceiling before I could see him remove his underwear too. I definitely didn't want to see that, even if I could feel the twitch down below from just mentioning it. Must've been a delayed reaction. I almost groaned out loud when I saw Cavallone's face come back into my line of vision. His eyes were still half-lidded, but the smile on his face wasn't smug or calculative. It was one full of happiness—I was taken aback from just seeing it at such a close distance.

"Kyouya?" he whispered lowly.

I narrowed my eyes at him before attempting to jerk my arms forward, out of the whip. No such luck, it was still tied perfectly to the bedpost. _Well, fuck. _His hand was trailing over my inner thigh again, staying painfully far away from my arousal on what seemed like on purpose. It had to be; Cavallone eventually trailed it to my navel, letting his fingertips press lightly against my skin as he worked his way up.

"What?" I hissed.

Rolling my nipple lightly between his index finger and thumb he carried on to say something that made my eye twitch. "Are you ready?"

_Of course not. _

It seemed I didn't even have a choice in the matter; before I could even react, I could feel something pressing against my backside. I jerked away from it instinctively, but Cavallone moved his hands so that they were pressing down against my hips, keeping me in place. I inwardly cringed. _This could be classed as rape. _I internally panicked when I felt him lift up my left leg, bringing it higher than necessary and hooked it over his shoulder.

"What makes you think I'm okay with this?" I spat.

I could feel his arousal settled just behind my backside and I swore, if I could've I would have been kicking his face into a distorted mess at that moment. My leg was still hooked over his shoulder whilst my other one remained on the bed. It was definitely an uncomfortable position—I felt bare. Cavallone moved so he was hovering above me, with both of his hands pressed down on either side of my face on the mattress. His smile grew impossibly bigger until he replied.

"A lot of things," he replied cheerfully.

The amount of time I had before I was searing with pain was less than I could even comprehend; I was simply about to question what kind of delusional Herbivore he was before I felt myself impaled with something that made me cringe internally and possibly on the outside too.

"A-ah!" I didn't mean to voice my pain, but _damn. _It hurt more than I'd ever thought it would—though I hadn't really thought about it much—I felt like I was being ripped in two, scorched at the edges and then pieced back together with dripping hot candle wax. I swore I could feel my eyes water from it, but that could've possibly been the humiliation too. He was fully sheathed inside me, producing rapid waves of pain whilst breathing into my ear, constantly reminding me of his presence. I gritted my teeth together to attempt to stop myself from thinking about the pain, but it was no use.

"You're so tight," I heard a husky whisper beside me. "Kyouya."

_Bastard. _I attempted to voice out my opinion, but all that came out were fast pants where I was trying to get myself back to normal. I could feel him twitch inside me, which equally made myself twitch, but only in my eye.

Not even five seconds after, before I could fully adjust to the intrusion, he'd pulled himself out, almost right to the end, before slamming back into me with such force that had me gasping out for air. I didn't feel any pleasure from his movement, but instead more pain. It stacked itself on top of the previous amount and even started throbbing uncomfortably. It wasn't a nice feeling, I wanted nothing more for him to stop and then wash myself in the shower. I didn't know what I felt, but I assumed it was dirty; that seemed the best way to describe it.

When I felt Cavallone withdrawing again, I needed to let my opinion out in the open. "S-stop," I gasped, attempting to keep my voice under control from the waves of pain.

Cavallone's expression faltered momentarily into something I couldn't place, but before I could even try to think about it, he shifted his weight fully onto his right arm and twisted his left hand into my hair. I numbly let him push my head up a small amount; just enough for him to get closer to me without letting my leg detach itself from his shoulder.

"_Ti amo_, Kyouya," he whispered lowly before kissing me again, immediately slipping his appendage inside my mouth.

"A-aah—ah!" Just before I was going to respond to the kiss to efficiently distract myself from the situation, I felt Cavallone slam back into me, right to the hilt, without even thinking about how I would feel. A painful gasp of pain escaped through my mouth as the waves of discomfort were still ripping through me. When I felt him twitch inside me, I felt something else mixed in. I came with a strangled cry, letting the liquid land messily across my stomach and chest without caring about my dignity.

"Kyouya," he whispered lowly against my lips.

"S—_Ah!" _My protest was cut short when he thrusted into me again, this time letting his lips softly press against my own.

My mind was a mess as Cavallone increased his pace, rapidly thrusting without much of an organized routine. Some were shallow and had me producing noisy breaths, whilst when he removed his hand from my hair and held my hip down, I let loud moans make their way out of my throat. Even if I couldn't control them from coming out, it seemed to make him want to continue more.

"Kyouya," he moaned.

If my hands were released, I probably would've been gripping his shoulders or something similar to attempt to make my release come quicker. I was going insane at that moment; I was covered in my own liquid, but I wanted _more. _That was obvious with every painful twitch I experienced when Cavallone had me writhing below him.

"Nnn—" I moaned as he changed positions, lifting up my other leg to rest on his free shoulder. I could definitely feel the difference as he thrust himself roughly into me again, hitting a certain bundle of nerves that had me moaning louder than before, almost deafening myself in the process. "A-ah—aah."

I felt Cavallone lick the shell of my ear before biting down on it softly. "_Ti amo_."

_What?_

My internal question was left unanswered as I felt him roughly hit the same bundle of nerves before, but this time harder, exactly in the right spot.

"Aa-ah! D—" I gasped, overwhelmed by the feeling of pleasure that burst through my body at that moment. My hips jerked themselves upwards without my permission, just as my eyes closed themselves. I definitely knew what was happening too well at that point—I could tell I was going to feel the liquid hitting my chest at any moment.

_Was I going to call his name?_

Cavallone continued thrusting into me for a few moments as I lied limp on his bed, panting harshly trying to regain my breath and dignity. I could feel him twitch inside me again, but this time even more than before. I didn't know what to think when I felt my insides fill with warmth, but I definitely understood when I could feel him slowly slide out, as if he was utterly exhausted. My cheeks were definitely burning an unattractive shade of red as I tried not to moan out loud. I felt as though I was full all the way to my stomach, I didn't know whether I was uncomfortable or not. The fact I could even feel some of the substance on my thighs, but most of it inside me, slowly seeping out had me internally cringing. I really needed a shower.

"Kyouya?" I heard a soft whisper above me.

Cracking my eyelids open, I glanced up and saw Cavallone's concerned face. There wasn't lust dominating his irides anymore nor were his eyes half-lidded. Instead they were back to normal. I could see the small triumphant smile that was playing on the corner of his lips. I was too tired to even glare at him, I simply slammed my eyelids shut again, refusing to look him in the face.

Instead of taking it as a hint to leave, I could feel the whip around my wrists eventually go limp before I experimentally pulled my arms away whilst cursing my throbbing muscles. They had definitely stayed still too long. When I felt Cavallone moving me, I didn't bother to open my eyes and glare at him. He should've got the picture he needed to run for safety by now. Forgetting that it was his bed, I pulled the duvet over my naked form before willing myself to go to sleep. I didn't feel any additional weight on the bed, so I assumed Cavallone had left the room.

I had a feeling that my backside would be throbbing tomorrow, along with my pride.

_**Ti amo**_**—**_**I love you**_

**AN: **what's this? Another update in the same week and it's longer than any other chapter? You're not seeing things, it's real. 7k+ words for the lemon. Holy shit. No sleep for three days, parents out of town and drunk brother = no one to walk in and attempt to read what I'm writing. I've had too much coffee, I swear I'm going to cry it out soon.


	14. Epiphany

**18plusForMe: **I'm glad you liked it! Even if my cheeks were burning, haha. Your taste buds are deformed, that's why it's sweet to you. **18plusForMe: **Two replies since you spammed me, you boob! **Eyes17k: **Holy crap, don't have a heart attack! *Shakes your shoulders* You're supporting Dino abuse! e**zzelin: **I smiled evilly at your review. Don't die from a nosebleed though! I'm glad you actually liked it though. :D **BeautifulHonest: **You should see my smile right now, it's huuuuuge. (Bigger than my penis) Herher, I kid I kid. That's too big. One of the best lemons you've ever read? Holy crap are you okay? Delusional. I tried to avoid the clichés and use your tips! C: GAPING AT MY SCREEN RIGHT NOW. Best D18 fic you've read? Holy craaaaaap! That's a compliment. **D18loyalfan: **You heard me! Worst lemon! :V You can't love my chapter, it's underage. Let it grow up first. D: Glad I made you have a funny expression whilst reading it, herher. **I Like To Stalk You: **Evil laughter then a compliment? That can't be good. I'm glad you liked it! Caffeine makes lack of sleep fantastic. **alguien22792: **I love you too. :3 Painfully detailed? OOPS. Of course we know he enjoyed it really! ;) **Face Faith: **I LOVE YOU TOO, LET'S ELOPE. Rainbow awesomesauce? My mind was just blown. Woooah! Early update from lack of sleep, woo! I didn't want his prize to be Hibari's virginity, it's too tacky. D: I'll make him scream Dino in the future, just for you. Haha. Spam me with reviews, you know you want to! The earlier chapters are so shit haha. **fuwacchi: **I say it's lies, so it is lies! DEAL WITH IT, BRO. ...or girl? I don't know! Oh, I rhymed. *Fist pump* Speedy fingers, oh yes. I'm going to dye your hair grey in your sleep. It waaaaas Muku~ C'mon, Dino only saw him one time for not even five minutes. He's a ditz. :O Since that was my first, I have time to improve on my lemons, right? PLEASE TELL ME I DO. /beg Herher, I did see your review. You're a babe. **Rya-chan X Shii-chan: **Thank you! :o You didn't offend me. **Ninjabandgeek: **I want to learn Italian too! Just for the hell of it. Confess your love to everyone this week, haha. JUST DON'T GET MARRIED. **SwordFeather: **Shock beginning, oops. L: Haha, I'm glad you're liking it. **Lawlie-sama: **You're the only kind person here! It was essential for the plot though, but I'm sorry. ): I thought it was too cheesy for them to just fall in love and bleeh. I'm sorry! **SwordFeather: **Staring at your screen in shock? :P **cpremix: **Your ass, eh? I'm sure they're great, especially if you've written that many! I wanna read one someday! **Doesitreallymatter: **Herher, I'm glad you like it. I swear my ego just levelled up. I heard the ping too. /hitmyheadonthewall It was so awkward writing the lemon though! Jeez. HOLY CRAP I DIED OF GIGGLES. Sex that makes the character puke rainbows, kittens and unicorns? Seriously, I want to marry you right now. C: I'll try and update faster! :D **Mad Exorcism: **Speedy updating, oh yes! Woo. You're definitely a perv. Go stand in the corner! Haha, you think Hibari's a masochist? It is possible... Masochist in denial! :D You should've fish slapped him. Yes, fish slapped. Make a wet fish magically appear and KAPOW! My reaction to masturbating is exactly the same! I couldn't make him too innocent and say he's never done it, right? ): Hopefully I'll get him to realize soon, the boob is too slow. **azel-chan: **You can really die peacefully! I'll pay my respect to you! :'D I actually had to cover my eyes with my hands for a few moments due to your review. Uwaah, I'm embarrassed! D: Two nosebleeds? Do you even have enough blood left? Your email hates you, that is all. I was wondering where you wandered off to, I'm happy you're still here. C: **NikkiGray: **Aww, thank you. Saying you like the way I write means a lot to me. :F Haha, whoops. Made you fail. Teehee. I loved your review and your English is excellent! I'll try and squeeze in a lemon as soon as possible.

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter foruteen—Epiphany

**HPOV**

To say I was confused when I finally regained consciousness would be an understatement. When I let my eyelids lazily open, the first thing I noticed was that I wasn't in my room. The walls weren't the pearly white that they were usually coated. Instead of that, they were a light cream with a few paintings scattered around the room. When I lifted my head up, the angle sent a shooting pain through my neck. I must've slept at an odd angle, I needed to crack it. Whilst lifting the covers off of my body, I finally noticed the weight that was pressed down onto my waist. My eye twitched when I had let my eyes follow the tanned limb to its owner. His face was hidden from me by being pressed down into a pillow that appeared too puffy for its own good, but I wasn't a complete idiot to forget who exactly it was. As I sat up, I clenched my hands into fists, thinking about what exactly would be a good form of revenge. I had a defenceless blond beside me, lightly snoring away whilst his arm was placed on the mattress beside me, almost reaching out to the position I was in previously. Anger was definitely pumping through my body at that moment, especially as I placed my feet against the soft carpet on the floor. As I stood up, a violent spike of pain erupted from my backside and I cursed under my breath, attempting to fight off the grimace that was threatening to invade my face. I could barely hear myself think over the harsh throbbing echoing throughout me, but that wasn't what I was annoyed about.

Although I had cuts and bruises scattered across my torso, legs and various other body parts, they weren't from a certain _activity. _I accepted them without complaint; they were simply proof of a fight that was worth my time. Turning a blind eye to them, I focused on the other details of my body that definitely had me clenching my hands into fists. I could only see a snippet of my chest, but I knew they were only a small sample of what I was going to see later. There were violent red splotches, along with some that were almost a purple shade, that were decorating my skin. As I took a step forward, I did notice the uncomfortable feeling on the inner part of my thigh and backside. I refused to look down until I was at least inside my room.

Still clenching my hands in my fist, I merely left my clothes on Cavallone's floor without sending them an irritated glance. I opened the door without attempting to soften the creaking from the hinges, opting for the noise to relieve the tension I'd created inside the room. I was sure my irritation was practically oozing off of my skin, making it apparent in the air around me. I didn't know whether I was more irritated with myself or Cavallone for what had happened only a few hours ago. It wasn't completely light inside the room, only a few rays of the sunlight coming through the window. As I crossed the hallway, it was even darker out there. I could barely see my feet hitting the floor, but I could tell I'd taken another step with every spike of pain coursing through my body.

I loathed myself at that moment.

As I washed myself in the shower, I was gritting my teeth in annoyance. I couldn't believe my actions from last night—that I hadn't pushed him away at all, only refusing verbally a few times despite the fact I was internally freaking out. I should've just sucked up my pride, kicked him and walked out of there. But I _didn't. _I barely struggled, even before he started doing anything. I willing sat down and waited for him to explain; I was actually talking to him willingly. I stopped spreading the shampoo around my hair, instead choosing to fist my hands into my hair. _Why? _I hadn't even known him more than six days and yet I was unconsciously getting close to him. It was almost as if I wanted to be in his presence.

My views of him had definitely changed. I realized that as I washed the shampoo out of my hair quickly. At first I saw him as an annoyance—I still did, but not completely—and then suave with his actions, but now when I thought about slamming my tonfa into his face I could feel my chest becoming uncomfortable. I grimaced whilst shooting an incredulous glance down at it; I had experienced the same feeling before, but I was sure I would have overcome it by now.

Before he had came into my life, I would have never hesitated before hurting someone.

Whilst furrowing my eyebrows and biting down on the inside of my cheek, I couldn't help but think what the hell had happened to me. In less than a week, I'd been practically assaulted on a daily basis and now I was hesitating before causing him pain. Last night was definitely too far, I never expected him to simply do that; it had only been kisses beforehand. Even if it happened too quickly, it didn't change the fact I wouldn't be able to forget it. Not because it was painful, practically forced and humiliating, but because it was my first time. _How the hell am I supposed to forget that? I can't. _There was no way I could; I'd wracked my brain for answers during my shower and I simply came up with none. I had responded, almost as if I was eager. I had only voiced my complaints out half of the time.

The towel was wrapped around my body tightly as I gripped the doorknob. I stopped twisting it around and tensed what I thought about what I was supposed to do, I was almost wondering about how Cavallone thought I'd react when I saw him. I couldn't act as if nothing had happened. That was definitely out of the window; for one, the marks scattered across my body completely contradicted it. I also wouldn't have been able to look at him directly whilst saying it; his expression was bound to reject it. My eyes widened when I caught myself out with my last thought. It didn't matter to me how Cavallone felt about it—I was the _victim_ here, not him. Even if he looked like a kicked puppy I didn't have to be concerned. For all I cared, he could look like that daily. With a newly found irritation, I twisted the handle before opening the door slowly, inwardly grimacing as it creaked loudly during movement. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding when I saw that he wasn't in the living room or kitchen; I couldn't even hear any noise coming from the apartment. I walked to my room quickly and shut the door behind me, not caring that it slammed loudly. He would've been an idiot to come barging in anyway.

Frowning to myself, I thought about how awkward it would be to see him next time. I didn't have to be a genius to realize what he had wanted. After all, he had voiced out that he'd tagged me as his last night. _No way in hell. _I snorted lightly to myself at the thought of being someone's, it would never happen in my life. I wasn't interested in romance or anything remotely similar, but since he'd introduced me to new experiences I'd been inwardly enjoying them, but last night was definitely too far. Even the throbbing from my backside backed up my opinion. I got dressed quickly, in my normal attire of a white shirt and trousers.

"Damn," I moaned. When I looked around my room for a certain article of clothing, I couldn't find it. My jacket was still placed inside Cavallone's room and I didn't get to see where he had put it yesterday. With my eyes twitching, I reached down into my bottom drawer and pulled out my spare pair of tonfas. They were more scratched than my others, but they would have to do for now. I also got my spare jacket from inside my wardrobe and stuffed the weapons inside the extra pocket quickly before grabbing my phone and walking towards the kitchen. I came up with the idea that I'd feel better after eating something. I hadn't had much yesterday and not enough sleep.

There was still no noise throughout the apartment I was made myself a slice of toast. I couldn't even hear Hibird chirping at all, I had wondered where he wandered off to. I left my food on a plate unattended as I got out a spare piece of bread and broke it into pieces. After I'd placed it upon a small saucer, I left it by the open window in case he got hungry at all. I ate quickly before I finally looked at the time. It was no surprise that it was early in the morning, but it was at least light now. It was the usual time that I left; at seven o'clock. I simply slipped my shoes on before leaving, not even bothering to cover up the sound of the door slamming. There were absolutely no signs of Cavallone since I'd fled from his bed.

My backside still throbbed with every step I took, but it got even worse when I had to walk down a set of stairs. I was biting down on my cheek to stop the hiss of pain that was practically begging to come out become audible. I definitely looked pathetic at that moment; I was cautiously putting my feet down before internally bracing myself for the spike of pain that would go through me. I was hesitant and absolutely hated it. I simply clenched my hands into fists until I got to the bottom before breathing a small sigh of relief. I walked through the streets quickly, noting that my surroundings were getting increasingly brighter with each corner I turned.

Before I knew it, I was having an intense staring contest with my usual chair inside the reception room. I had narrowed my eyes at in dangerously, weighing out the options inside my mind on what I could do. I doubted whether I could sit normally, I'd have to approach it gingerly, but if any of my subordinates walked in and saw how I was sitting, I'd feel humiliated. It did matter that I was still nursing my pride from last night, I doubted I could take another hit before it started to show through my expression. In the end, I chose to take a nap on the sofa instead. If I was lying down, I doubted it would be uncomfortable. It wasn't whilst I was sleeping either—when I was sure the pain was even worse—and I definitely hadn't woken up from it. I rubbed my cheek against my right arm, attempting to find a comfy position before I closed my eyes. It didn't take long before I thought it was acceptable and eventually let my consciousness slip.

Waking up to my thigh vibrating wasn't pleasant at all. I growled in annoyance before stuffing my hand in my pocket and efficiently fished my phone out. The damn thing was still going off with the small screen shining as well. I flipped it open angrily and blinked in surprise when I saw it was a message from an unknown number. _Unknown and they had the nerve to wake me up._ I felt my left eye violently twitch as I opened the message up.

_I haven't seen you in awhile. How have you been? —M._

I deleted it without a second thought. I closed my eyes again after I'd stuffed my phone away, but not before I'd turned it off. My eyes had still been drooping and I doubted I could contain my irritation if vibrations woke me up again.

The strangest thing happened when I closed my eyes for that second time; instead of the darkness I was usually greeted with, instead a particularly tanned face invaded my vision. I immediately flung my eyes open as soon as it appeared before harshly rubbing my eyes, attempting to get myself back to normal. It had to be some kind of fluke. I clenched my hand into a fist again before slowly shutting my eyes and getting comfortable again. I thought it couldn't happen for a second time, but I was sadly mistaken. The same tanned face greeted me, but this time he was smiling. I could clearly make out the lines beside his eyes as his mouth stretched into what seemed like a crooked grin. Even his chocolate irides seemed brighter than normal. His bright blond bangs were placed messily over his forehead, accidently missing some areas where I could clearly see the skin was exactly the same colour there as anywhere else. I could feel my lips twitch before attempting to curl up into a smile as I focused more on his image. I caught up to my actions I could feel the fully fledged smile on my lips. I snapped my eyes open before sitting up, pivoting so my feet were on the floor. I leant forward with my elbows positioned on my knees as I sighed to myself, looking down at the floor below me.

Even if I didn't intentionally think about him, my heart beat sped up. I could feel it beating painfully against my ribs, almost knocking the breath out of my lungs. The only thought going through my head at that moment was an odd one, but I acknowledged it nonetheless. _I haven't seen him. _I chewed on my cheek in thought as I pondered why I was concerned I hadn't seen him after I'd been in the shower. Normally, he'd be making too much noise, possibly tripping on his own feet and imposing on my personal bubble. Yet today, I'd caught a glimpse of his sleeping face before walking, not even sparing him another glance. Not even two hours—I estimated—later and I was wanting to see him again.

I was definitely slightly attached to him, but it couldn't have been helped at that point.

I wasn't the most social child. That was absolutely clear after my first few weeks in class. I didn't like other people, I didn't _tolerate _them. Since I'd been distant and absolutely rude on my first few days, I was an outsider. That meant I could observe my surroundings and the people featured in them without someone tainting my view with their opinions. I could clearly see when certain groups were talking about an individual behind their backs and then acting completely different in front of their faces. I'd always looked on in disgust before shaking my head and opting to looking at something else. Being alone was absolutely fine with me; it was incredibly hard to get on my own nerves.

When I'd been confessed to, multiple times, on regular days, I'd simply brushed it off as a prank. It was possible, after all, I had witnessed others ordering individuals to do it. It was normally either of fear of being rejected by that group so they'd join along or wanting to become more popular. By going along with the task, they'd climb the so called social ladder. As the years went on, the confessions seemed to increase. I still brushed them off, simply saying I had no interest. After all, it was completely true.

I knew I had to be worried when I wasn't interested in a relationship of any kind; not friendship or anything remotely romantic.

Now, I was responding to the soft touches that he gave me. Even the kisses, that ranged from tender to almost violent, I'd eventually attempted to return. When we'd first met I had straight away felt the spike of pleasure that shot through my body as he kissed me—when he was a _stranger. _When he kissed me now, them spikes had seemed to increase. My heartbeat got ridiculously fast, almost deafening me with the hammering inside my head and I could feel my stomach becoming uncomfortable whenever I thought about hurting him.

There was no doubt about it—I was attached.

For some reason, one that I couldn't comprehend, I didn't feel a rush of humiliation as I realized that. I didn't feel any different, but my lips were definitely attempting to tug themselves into a smile. I settled for a smirk instead before wringing my hands together.

Even if he was a stupid blond who was occasionally clumsy, he had his good points. He could lead me into situations I'd never fault I'd be in just with his words, such as going out for dinner. He was a good fighter, the bruises over my body could prove that. Cavallone apparently possessed enough intelligence to look after a pet. The fact the turtle was still alive at all was proof of that.

When I slowly closed my eyes again, I could still see the same image as before. Still the colours were intensified, almost blinding me with how bright they were. I'd definitely seen a lot of different smiles from him and each seemed to be full of a different emotions. Sometimes I couldn't even decipher what exactly the emotion was, but it clearly backed up how his eyes looked each time. Even his sad smiles were hard to decipher. The newest one I could add to my internal collection it seemed was the one from last night. I didn't clench my hands into fists when I thought about it that time—I _needed _to pick apart a few of the details to understand what exactly was going through my mind at that moment and maybe even attempt to understand Cavallone.

Usually, confessions were brushed aside without a second thought. I didn't care about their feelings or if they'd rip up a love letter before throwing it in the bin. It didn't used to concern me at all. When Cavallone had confessed his _feelings _towards me, I had clearly urged him to continue. I hadn't thought there was anything wrong with asking that particular question at the time, but now I was looking back on it, I was shaking my head in bewilderment. It had to be strikingly obvious that I'd enjoyed it when he'd pushed me down and then kissed me; my actions back then proved it disturbingly well. I didn't freak out at all until his knee gently brushed against my groin. I was comfortable kissing him when I was inexperienced. I inwardly grimaced when I thought about how I'd bit down on his lip previously, violently splitting it open and even sucking blood from it. It had to hurt like hell, but I'd acted like it was nothing. I took in a deep breath when I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. I did protest to being tied up by his whip again—I would've preferred to have his hands around my wrists any day instead. I didn't voice that out though, stubbornly deciding to glare up at him to see what was happening. I definitely accepted that I was being stubborn back then now. My mind wasn't in a haze anymore; I could understand at least a few things that were going on back then. When his hands were eventually trailing lower and lower, I'm sure I'd squirmed in discomfort, but I barely voiced my opinion. I couldn't deny it felt amazing when he'd tugged against my arousal. I bit down on the inside of my cheek when I felt my face eventually becoming hotter during my thinking session. I could now clearly admit that when he'd announced I was his, I had felt my breathing hitch. My breathing was doing that just as I was thinking about it, so I was sure I was freaking out when it had happened. I continued on from that line of thought for a few minutes, shaking my head at various intervals from the answers I received from myself.

After opening my eyes and briefly shaking my head, I stood up. I wasn't in as much pain as before, but the subtle throbbing was still there. I shrugged it off my shoulders with a deep breath before I strolled over to my desk, looking to see if there was any work I'd neglected before. There were a few loose pieces of paper, but nothing significant that needed to be done. I placed the spare pieces of paper inside a drawer quickly before I heard the harsh sound of the door opening.

Sighing quietly to myself, I lifted my head up and straightened myself out before glancing to see who it was. I frowned when I saw who it was at the door since they were wearing a worried expression on their face.

"Hibari-san," he started after clearing his throat. "I've got a few things to report."

My irritated gaze evaporated to mild curiosity as I beckoned the male inside with a slight nod.

Kusakabe Tetsuya was definitely reliable, I could give him that. Even with his strange pompadour hairstyle and looks that matched the older generation rather than the youthful, he was someone useful to keep around. He'd reported a few cases of delinquents producing petty arguments just so they'd become more popular, but the case that was most irregular was from Sawada Tsunayoshi. His mother had called the school that morning and requested time off for him, not even bothering to give a sufficient reason for such a thing. I dismissed him quickly after all of the information was out in the open, but I didn't miss the curious glance he sent me before leaving the room.

I blinked in bewilderment about what was wrong with him—I was acting the same as always. Cold and distant.

I didn't sleep after that or do paperwork, instead I simply left the school without worrying. Kusakabe only came to report information when the lessons of the day were finished, which meant I had all the necessary information to smash my tonfa into various people's faces the next morning. I took a different route on the way back to my apartment that time, choosing to cross the park inside of walking through town. I was sure I'd glance at the restaurant I'd ate with Cavallone in frequently.

Now that I thought about it, I wasn't at all disturbed by the dream I had had anymore. Before I was shaking, absolutely distraught that it had been with Cavallone of all people and even _fainting _when I saw his face close enough to mine that I could feel his breath fanning across my face. I crossed my arms over my chest as I reflected upon it now—it didn't feel strange to think about Cavallone and I participating in such an activity anymore. That was surely due to the fact it had happened last night, but still. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion when my thoughts had drifted back to last night. A spike of anger had surged through my earlier, but now it was replaced with the echo of my heart inside my head. I wasn't clenching my hands into fists, thinking about what would be a suitable form of revenge.

It didn't matter to me that my backside was sore at that moment.

I shook my head roughly before walking at a faster pace. I was curious to see how I'd react when I was finally in the same room as him again—it was possible the anger would come back all at one point. That would be quite enjoyable.

As my hand gripped my front doors handle, I heard a voice behind me. "Hibari, Hibari."

I didn't turn around to glance at who it was, the chirping was ridiculously obvious. When I was carefully removing my shoes I felt Hibird nuzzle himself into a comfortable position within my hair. I smirked softly at that; it was nice to see my fluffy companion again. I walked slowly into the living room with my footsteps echoing loudly through the apartment. I couldn't make out any noise, but he had to be inside somewhere. I passed my bedroom and bathroom quickly, ignoring them completely. He had no reason whatsoever to be inside there; he had his own separate ones. I did notice that my door was closed though. _I'm sure I left that open. _I shrugged my shoulders lightly, completely forgetting it for the time being. My mind was on something else. My footsteps were still echoing as I walked towards his room and I swore, it was getting harder to take another step after the last. The uncomfortable feeling was definitely back in my stomach, I could feel it twisting awkwardly.

The door creaked as I pushed it open and I felt my eyes widen when I took in the room. It looked nothing like it did this morning; if anything, it looked cleaner than it had ever been before. The bed was completely made without a single crease within it. There were no random articles of clothing scattered across the floor or even hanging off of a hanger. Absolutely nothing was out of place, none of the pictures were crooked either. But the room was missing one thing; what I had came in there for.

Despite the fact I could clearly see he wasn't there, I still called out. "Cavallone?"

Absolutely no answer came my way. I sighed quietly to myself—which Hibird responded to with a chirp of name—before backing away and closing the door behind me. It was absolutely normal that he had gone outside; after all, Cavallone did have a social life unlike me. He'd gone out plenty of times when he'd been here already. Even telling me when he was going on the odd occasion. I crossed my arms in irritation as I walked across to my room. I didn't know what to do with myself, but a nap seemed like a good idea to pass the time. Since I was a light sleeper, when Cavallone finally came back I would haven able to hear him. I pushed the door to my room open quickly and stepped inside, immediately noting the different inside the room.

It looked similar to his, meaning that there were no clothes discarded on the floor or even a single crease on the bed. I could clearly see the set of folded clothes placed upon my chair, the jacket hanging on the back and my favourite pair of tonfas gently laid on top of my shirt pile. My eyes widened in surprise when I took in all in before I took a few steps forward, inspecting to see if it was some trick of my imagination. Apparently it wasn't; I could feel the material on my fingertips as I traced over it briefly. I took the jacket off of my shoulders before returning it to where it came from within the closet. The pockets weren't as secure as the jacket that was on my chair at that moment. I toyed with my tonfas for a few minutes, checking to see if everything was still intact. The spikes hidden within weren't damaged at all nor were they blunt. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw a drop of blood escape through the puncture of my skin. He'd barely touched them, just moved them so I could clearly see when I stepped inside the room. I scanned the room quickly, checking to see if anything else was out of place. I didn't notice anything after a few minutes—I was even paranoid enough to check my stash of money within the book—and turned around to leave, completely forgetting what I'd came inside to do.

The note that was stuck against my door was incredibly hard to miss. Unless I was partially blind, I doubted I could've ever missed it. It was bright yellow, even brighter than his hair, and stood out against the light colours of my room. I had to blink after I'd caught sight of it, checking to make sure it was really there. I stepped forward to read it quickly with Hibird chirping on top of my head as I did so.

_I'm sorry. Really, I am. We can't exactly erase that. I'm going to stay with Tsunayoshi. —Dino._

My eyes widened in shock after I'd processed his writing. I even had to read it a few times before I fully understood it, I hadn't been expecting that at all. Even though I should have been smirking at the note, delighted with the fact he'd realized he had done something wrong, I wasn't feeling any pleasure at that moment. I was scowling at the note.

He'd reverted back to being a herbivore, just as I was considering upgrading him to an omnivore. Running away from what had happened wasn't the answer; I'd tried earlier, but my backside had been a constant reminder.

"Bastard," I growled. I narrowed my eyes at the note before taking it off of my door and placing it on my bin. I didn't need to see it various times, I'd already acknowledged that he'd ran just as I'd realized I was attached to him.

"Hibari," Hibird chirped.

I arched an eyebrow before I reached up to stroke his head quickly. "You too, huh?" I mused.

**AN: **hundredth reviewer will get whatever he/she wants. One-shot, a specific scene in a chapter, drawing. Absolutely anything. No, you _can't _have my porn video. That's off limits!


	15. Absence

**I Like To Stalk You: **This made you happy? d: D'aww. I can't write emoness, I'm sorry. Am such a fail. orz Muku will just randomly appear at times to stroke Kyouya up, don't worry haha. He probably keeps a diary of it too. Poor thing. **Doesitreallymatter: **Christmas music this early? Well, that was a month ago so it was early before… But still. HAH. I wanna see Kyouya wrapped up in tinsel. ;-; Holy crap I thought you were holding a knife to my back when you were asking about Muku. YES, OKAY. Some devilish and mischievous, just leave my ovaries intact! Don't shank me! f**uwacchi: **It's weird writing a reply to you whilst talking to you on MSN at the same time. WTF LOL. Ahh, you just spasmed on your keyboard? Nice mental image there. P: LOL YOUR PC CRASHED? I'm so loved. It hates me I swear. == Srsly. Rants are all good, I'm used to them. You expected Kyouya to leave and camp out? Why the hell did I get the image of him sitting in a tent roasting some marshmallows? o-o LOL. Give it time my sweet, give it time. You'll see some Kyouya abuse. I'm not going to dye your hair grey, I'm gluing a grey wig onto you. DPOV for you babe, just for you. **18PlusForMe: **You were so close! Too bad. P: You stole my cookie? THIEF. **alguien22792:** "I understand that he feels guilty about tying Hibari to the bed and fucking him senseless and basically being a big pedo but still XD" I LAUGHED SO HARD. You're so blunt! XD I'm glad you want Muku to start his molesting spree already haha. **Kurea Cavallone:** Ah, ah, ah. Don't get ahead of yourself there. P: Love wasn't mentioned! I'M SORRY. **Chimchar: YOU'RE THE SPECIAL PERSON. You get to be bolded and showered by love! *throws glitter* Haha. Just tell me what you want. P: BeautifulHonest: **I'm still shocked that still story makes anyone happy haha. You literally jumped in the air? Waaah. xD Woo OOC! IT MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND. Poor thing, you missed out by one person. Kekeke. *Passes an apple* Please, enjoy. That's what you get. P: **Eyes17k: **What a perfect way to make up. xD **ezzelin: **That would be a fabulous reunion! Minus the blood, of course haha. You know you love Muku being creepy really. C'mon, admit it. **Chimchar: **You've had over a month to decide. Do you know what you want yet? P: **Nikkigray: **Such perfect timing! xD Fail at updating much? LOL. **azel-chan: **AAAAZEL. YOU'RE ALIVE. Yay. Haha sucks to be you having to rewrite everything. Holy crap! It is the longest d18 fic. o-o Shit man. LOL. Seriously blushing from reading your review. You're too nice! Seriously! Feelings for the dinosaur? I laughed so hard! I'm so glad you like the way I write him. I think he's too ooc but I'm too lazy to fix it. P: I actually hate Muku so I thought I'd include him. XD Kekeke your reviews are always fabulous. **Face Faith: **You found my review amusing? Crazy. o-o Bishie had a bad personality. Sad but true. LOL we can elope. No one will have to know. Of course there will be more lemons! This isn't over yet if I can find my notes. YES, PLEASE NOTICE THE IF. LOL. /fail. If muku touches Kyouya I can just imagine a random fist connecting with his face and sending him flying. What a lovely thought. P: You didn't think a single line was OOC? O_O Waaah. YOU'RE MAD. I'm loving it haha. Sure, tow hundredth reviewer will get something but I doubt we'll get there. LOL get a wish granted? I don't prance around in a tutu granting wishes with a sissy wand. XD Maybe one day. A girl can dream. QQ Is it appropriate to say merry Christmas? Fuck it's been too long. LOL. **CPRemix: **Please do tell me when you post your lemons. I wanna read them! P: I made his softer self seem completely badass? Aww, fuck yeah. Kekeke. I actually fist pumped. **Paradoxismminant: **YOU! Your Suffocation review had me dying of laughter. Don't question Spiderman kisses. They're epic. Yup, Din was omnomnommed haha. **Paradoxismminant: **Ohoho another review. If I didn't know any better I'd say you're spamming me. **Paradoxismminant**: THIS IS SPAM. **Paradoxismminant: **If your reviews didn't make me chuckle I would get a restraining order against you.

**Beta'd by fuwacchi.**

**I don't own Kateikyoushi. **

Chapter fifteen—Absence

**DPOV**

My decision had to be the worst one I'd made in a few years. I'd been a fool and overreacted, I could clearly see that now that I was reviewing my actions. If I had waited and maybe thought about what had happened, I probably would not have been sitting in Tsuna's house, moping around whilst he was at school and Nana was out with a friend.

As soon as I'd woken up, I knew something wasn't right. My arm was outstretched, but even worse than that I was stark naked. I fingered the bridge of my nose for a few seconds, trying to get my memory under control. It was in a haze at that moment, but that could have easily been due to the lack of sleep I'd experienced. Light was definitely streaming inside the room, but clearly not enough to class it as even midmorning. I rubbed my eyes briefly before I pulled the covers off of me and pressed my feet against the floor. It didn't take long before I was hit with the memories of what had happened. I simply had to glance at Kyouya's crumpled clothes that were on the floor to remember. I looked frantically around the room for any recent traces of him, but all I found were different articles of clothing.

"Fuck," I moaned.

I threw on the first pieces of clothing I found in a draw before I panicked. Just as I was buttoning up my last button on my shirt, I was hit with what seemed to be the equivalent of a brick of guilt. It was all too clear in my mind at that moment; the fact that I'd _tied _him, practically forced myself and then acted as though it was nothing. I could have scarred him; after all, that had to be his first time. I clenched my hand into a fist when I thought about that. He was bound to remember that. I doubted whether I'd been gentle, I was too eager. I had wanted to get straight to the point. Even though I could clearly see his gasping face in my mind, I wanted nothing more than to hurt myself at that moment. There was absolutely no way in hell I was going to get away with my actions. I'd got caught up in the moment and never caught myself out before it was too late. It was too late _now. _I shot a glance at the empty bed beside me before releasing a sigh. I hadn't heard him get up at all, I had no clue what kind of face he'd made when he'd first remembered what had happened.

Kyouya definitely hated me at that point. There was no doubt about that, I'd touched him before, but that was never as intimate as last night. Even though he'd rejected my touch immediately when I'd moved on from kisses, I still carried on. I even went as far as to make him bleed from biting down on his neck too hard. It was definitely just an overreaction from being too into the moment. I was supposed to be an adult. I was twenty-two, but here I was contemplating my consequences of inappropriately touching a minor. I bit down on my lip hard as my face contorted into a scowl. I absolutely despised myself at that moment. Getting carried away in the moment was _not _a good enough excuse to casually touch Kyouya.

Of course I had wanted to go further with him, but I definitely should've waited. I thought that if I acted as though I'd forced it, he'd finally stop being stubborn and see past his blind pride. My brilliant plan was apparently crap. It had only caused him to hate me further and then run off before I could say anything remotely similar to an apology.

"Kyouya?" I called out to the empty room.

I swallowed roughly when I received no answer—just as I was expecting—before I started making my way to the door. I was inwardly cringing as I walked across the room, taking in the mess I'd created yesterday. Clothes were scattered across the floor, but Kyouya's seemed to be almost in a trail. A trail that lead to the damn bed. I shook my head quickly before leaving the room and checking to see if he was anywhere else. I was met with absolutely nothing inside the living room and the kitchen. There were no traces that he had even been inside there, no mess whatsoever, just simply looking the same with its cleanliness. I couldn't even see a single glass on the side drying. I bit down on my lip before choosing to check inside his room. He could've woken up and stumbled back to his own bed, after all, sleeping with me hadn't exactly been his first choice. There was an uncomfortable feeling building up in my stomach as I took a few steps closer to his door. I didn't know what I was going to do if he wasn't inside. I wouldn't be able to apologize or anything remotely similar. Wrapping my hand around the handle, I had to swallow roughly before slowly turning it around and inwardly cringing when the door creaked from being moved. I immediately felt waves of disappointment going through me when I took in his room. It didn't look any different from the last time I'd seen it; the duvet hadn't moved at all. Kyouya hadn't been inside at all which meant he'd left the apartment.

My hands were clenched into fists as I walked back to my room, I'd made my mind up at that point. It was probably the cowardly way out of what had happened, but there was no better option clear in my mind at that moment. It didn't matter that I had feelings for Kyouya. He ran away without saying a single sentence which clearly implied he disliked me even more now.

As I pinched the bridge of my nose after sitting down on my bed, I felt awful. Just when I'd deciphered my feelings for Kyouya, I'd gotten carried away and then gone all the way. Originally, I'd intended to just do a little bit further than kissing to give him a taste of what was to come. But no, my mind had to go into the gutter and I merely got carried away in my own pleasure.

Before I'd met him, I didn't believe in the idea of love at first sight. I still didn't to a certain extent, but there was no other way to describe it. It didn't help that I had first met him in an erotic dream rather than in real life. I should've hated every one of his movements; after all, Kyouya had never been particularly nice to me. I did have a few theories inside my head about why I was attracted to him, but in the end they all came up short of the answer I needed. To find the answer, I had to take my feelings into consideration.

What I found out was that I wasn't merely lusting after his body; I knew that after last night anyway. I still wanted to see him and still wanted something else out of him. When I'd tested my feelings out a few days ago, even going as far as to slip into bed with him to see if I overreacted, it had to mean there was something else.

It seemed appropriate last night to say 'I love you' in my native tongue. Love had to be strikingly close to my real feelings, but since I'd said it in a language I hoped Kyouya didn't understand, if I was wrong there wouldn't be any harm done.

_No. _There would be harm done, no matter what. That was why Kyouya had already disappeared.

Biting down on my lip, I did the only thing that I thought would help the situation. I sucked up the remainder of my pride and my feelings and plucked Kyouya's clothing off of my floor, one by one. I folded them neatly before placing them on my bed and proceeded to do the same with the next piece. Once that was done, I made sure the room was presentable. I needed to leave as little as possible of myself behind—if I had a can of air freshener at that moment, that probably would've got rid of my scent. I doubted Kyouya could literally smell me inside the room, but it was a rough guess. I searched for the bag I originally stuffed all of my possessions in and quickly found it. Packing away was relatively easy, more than it should've been. I didn't actually take any of my things out; only a few articles of clothing.

It really didn't take long to pack my possessions away and then rearrange the room a little. It was more simple than it should've been, but it did remind me that I hadn't been there long enough. I hadn't been there long enough to do anything, especially touch Kyouya. I clenched my hand into a fist before placing my bag down beside the bed. My eyes scanned the room quickly, looking for any kind of paper to write a note on. After all I'd done, it would be absolutely rude to leave without leaving something behind. If it was a note, Kyouya was free to rip it up whenever he wanted, he could even burn it if he had the urge. A shudder went through my body as I thought about him burning something from me, he definitely had the right to, but that didn't stop the frown from taking over my features. I took a deep breath before I picked up his clothing and the note, and cautiously made my way to his bedroom.

Grimacing to myself, I did contemplate whether I was being an idiot before and making up what I saw. As I fingered the handle of Kyouya's door, which was left open still, I was wondering whether he really was inside and I ignored it. I tensed up slightly before snapping myself out of whatever I had got into and gently pushed the door open. The creaking filled up the whole room and immediately, my eyes darted to his bed again. Still, there was no change. I wasn't being an idiot and blocking him out.

I didn't linger inside his room, I simply did what I needed to and possibly just a tiny bit more. I felt bad leaving it messy, so I quickly straightened his possessions out before placing his clothing on a chair and the note messily onto the door. I didn't turn back around to look at what I'd left as I went through the door again. I kept my line of vision straight in front of me as I ventured back to my room—soon to be a spare one—and placed my green jacket on before picking my bag up.

My trek to Tsunayoshi's wasn't anything special. I didn't meet anyone that I could greet on the way and I was absolutely fine with that. I was sure my lip was almost raw with the amount of times I'd gnawed on it whilst reflecting on my actions. I seriously wanted to go to Tsuna's school again, just to see Kyouya. Although I wouldn't be welcome, I could've at least apologized and possibly begged for forgiveness. That seemed like the best thing to do, but my genius mind had already made its mind up. I wasn't going to see him anymore, wait for my feelings to die down before eventually trailing back to Italy. Although I was still on my break, I doubted whether I could enjoy myself in Namimori. There was too much of a chance of meeting Kyouya anywhere, especially after I'd digested the horror stories Tsuna had told of him before. I would probably have to avoid crowded places or where there were any fights. Kyouya would be there to break them up and possibly injure them, without a doubt.

It was still early morning when I eventually made it to Tsuna's apparently. He was the one who answered the door after I'd gingerly pressed the button, awkwardly scratching the back of my neck whilst waiting for an answer. Tsuna was still in his pyjamas and the look of surprise that crossed his face was almost startling.

It seemed like he had to confirm what he was seeing. "D-Dino?"

After that, I simply said I wasn't getting along well with Kyouya which Tsuna seemed to believe. He let me in with enthusiasm and instantly offered to let me stay in the guest room until I left. My smile was weak when I thanked him, but I was still grateful nonetheless.

"Hey, Tsuna?" I called after him, just as he was starting to enter his room.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to spend some time together?" I asked.

If I was being honest, I had felt like I'd neglected Tsunayoshi a little bit. I did intend to spend quite a bit of time with him, after all he didn't come to Italy often, but I'd gotten sidetracked. With a new resolve inside my mind, I made a firm decision. I wouldn't get to spend normal days with Tsuna for at least a few years so it was best to make the most of them at that moment. I even dropped the idea that he could possibly take time off from his studies to bond—I'd heard from Nana that she'd hired a tutor for him on the weekends. Tsuna happily agreed and called Nana a few minutes after that to ask the question. I found myself smiling despite the fact I'd treated him like a backup plan. Tsuna was _not _a second choice, he was my original one.

I'd just got sidetracked, that was all.

I shook my head quickly, ridding myself of the thoughts. It was great that Nana didn't question why I was back, simply letting me continue on my not so merry way.

"Dino?" Tsuna called.

Quickly snapping out of my trance I hummed quickly in acknowledgement.

"What do you want to do today?" He asked.

_What do I want to do? I have no idea. _I honestly didn't; I didn't know if there were any places in Namimori that I wanted to visit nor did I know if there were any shops I wanted to purchase items from. The best option seemed to be letting Tsuna choose where he wanted to go, after all I didn't know where he liked to go either. The times I'd visited in what was almost the past week we'd only stayed inside his home and talked. We'd never gone out to eat or anything remotely similar.

Before I could even open my mouth, Nana's voice interrupted us. "Tsu-kun?" She called.

Less than five minutes later, I was walking down the street with Tsuna trailing our way towards the nearest supermarket. Nana had asked for us to get ingredients, even thrusting a list into Tsuna's hands before he could even open his mouth to protest. A small chuckle made its way out of my throat when I thought about the look on Tsuna's face again; he looked terrified. He still did but considerably less, instead of looking horrified, Tsuna was eyeing the corners of every street we passed almost as if he was expecting to get jumped.

"What's wrong?" I frowned.

Tsuna tensed a little at my voice which had me blinking in bewilderment.

"I," he started before pausing to gulp.

Hopefully my hum of acknowledgment urged him to continue.

"My friends are what you could call o-overprotective," he explained.

_Overprotective enough that you think they might be watching from the shadows? _I had to place my hand over my mouth to stop my laughter from being heard. Tsunayoshi really did look scared at that moment, even as he was explaining about his friends he hadn't taken his eyes away from the end of the street. There was no way his friends would possibly skip school because they'd heard he was ill and then scout around to find him. If they did, I would be more concerned that they were associating with him. Whilst thinking about the ridiculous possibilities of Tsuna's friends, I did realize something.

"You've never told me much about your friends," I pointed out.

It was absolutely true—although I'd heard a few horror stories from Tsuna, he'd mentioned he was with others whilst the events occurred but never said any of their names. I hadn't ever really had the conversation about friends with him.

"Eh?" Tsuna snapped his head around to let his eyes meet mine.

Instead of repeating myself, I arched an eyebrow before smiling slightly. It was a nice thought to know that Tsuna had people to rely upon now. I did know about his past experiences with bullying especially when he was in elementary school. As we stepped into the supermarket, I finally got Tsuna to open up and tell me about his friends. I learnt that there was an Italian transfer student who had latched himself onto Tsuna after they had had a fight. He didn't go into details, but I surely had an incredulous expression upon my face when Tsuna had mentioned that he of all people had actually got into a fight. There was no doubt about it that he looked weak; his arms were small, just like the rest of his body. I doubted there were many people in his year that were shorter than him. Raising my hand ever so subtly, I measured where exactly he came to on me. It was only up to my shoulder which had me biting down on my lip to stop my laughter.

"You're so small." I laughed.

I swore I saw him pout before he carried on with his tale of friendship. "His name's Gokudera."

_That doesn't sound Italian._ I mentally shrugged it off of my shoulders as Tsuna told me more about him. From what I heard at that moment, I dubbed Gokudera as a delinquent. Apparently, he smoked, wielded weapons that were strikingly similar to dynamite in real life, wore chains and other gothic accessories and had an amazingly quick temper. I cringed to myself as I thought about him being near Tsuna all of the time.

"He defends me when I get picked on," Tsuna carried on saying.

That brought a smile to my lips—if Gokudera had enough common sense to look after Tsuna, even enough to be tagged as overprotective, I had no problems.

We looked through the shop quickly, eventually finding the items that we required. I swore we were being too dense as we had to look down the same aisle three times before we found the said item.

"My other friend is called Yamamoto," Tsuna said whilst reaching for a few tomatoes. "He's really laidback."

Yamamoto didn't seem so bad as well. Even though he seemed to be laidback about the worst type of things—I indentified him as a friend who laughed about getting beaten up before—and had an intense sports mode, Tsuna enjoyed being around him. It was obvious Tsuna cherished his friends from the soft smile that was on his lips as well as the tone his voice held when talking about them. I hadn't heard happiness mixed in with his words as much as that. I had to laugh when Tsuna blushed as soon as I told him I was happy he'd found some good friends. He'd overreacted from a simple compliment.

"I'm going to go get some peas," I announced. "See you in a minute."

"Don't trip!" I heard Tsuna call.

I chose to ignore that comment before shaking my head lightly to myself. I looked through the aisles quickly before I spotted what I needed. Making my way over to the freezer, I hummed quietly to myself as my mood was still becoming more positive. It was only around noon at that point and I was enjoying myself. I picked up the peas quickly, trying to ignore the fact that my hand was soon becoming numb from the cold. As I turned around to start walking back towards Tsuna, I didn't see the aisle before me. Instead, a tall male was blocking my way. Sighing lightly to myself, I moved myself to the side before starting to walk forward again. After at least two steps, just far enough to distance myself from the male, I heard a laugh from behind me.

The laugh was nowhere near normal. A sane person could've never created such a sound—it was creepy, but even more than that it was making me shudder. I stopped walking as soon as I'd heard it and immediately turned around. I frowned to myself when I took in his appearance; it was incredibly hard to miss, I was amazed that I hadn't gaped at him earlier. Tanned skin, blue hair and a mocking smirk. It only took my brain a few seconds to piece together what I knew about him and decide whether I wanted to stay or walk away. I eyed his hair again and as soon as I noted down that it resembled a fruit, my frown deepened. The stranger was the same male that had been inside Kyouya's apartment before. I _didn't _want to think back to it, but I couldn't help it in that situation. I hadn't even spoken to the pineapple before and now he was attempting to block my way in a supermarket.

_Weirdo. _

The laugh came out of his mouth again, but this time it was even louder. Sighing lightly to myself, I turned around completely to face him and saw that the smirk was still firmly placed upon his face. My eye twitched out of irritation from just seeing him place himself on top of a pedestal, but I had to admit I was curious at that moment to see what he wanted.

"Yes?" I asked.

Another laugh, but this time he moved his hand up to casually stroke his chin. I blinked in bewilderment before attempting to take a step back; a normal person would never casually stroke their chin when a question was directed towards them. _No wonder Kyouya didn't want him in his apartment, he's abnormal. _Everyone was abnormal to an extent, but this was really pushing it. Even the heterochromatic eyes were practically screaming for me to run away; again, a normal person would not have had irides that possessed colours on the opposite sides of the spectrum.

"Lovely meeting you," I exclaimed sarcastically before turning around.

"What does he see in you?"

When I processed his question, I turned my head back around to face him. With my eyebrow arched, I hoped I conveyed that I wanted him to continue.

"The skylark," he clarified.

Whilst my frown became deeper, I decided I didn't want to talk to him anymore. "It's none of your business, Pineapple."

The male in front of me at that moment still didn't have a name, but it was strikingly appropriate to call him after the fruit his hair resembled. It was even better when I saw his smirk casually drop a fraction before his eyes narrowed slightly. It looked like I'd hit a nerve, just like he'd done with me. Apparently, I couldn't enjoy a day out with my cousin without being reminded of Kyouya. I just wanted some peace, but that was too much to ask.

"Pineapple?" he questioned whilst I saw his eyes narrow another fraction. It was definitely the name that was irritating him at that moment, not the rest of my sentence. "Where exactly do you get this name from?"

This time both of my eyebrows were arched. I was sure that it was more than obvious where the name came from, even individuals on the other end of the aisle could probably tell.

"Dino?" I heard from behind me.

Before I could even prove to the male in front of me that the strands of hair sticking up resembled leaves and he did in fact look like a pineapple, Tsuna came up beside me. I'd probably taken too long and he'd finished the rest of the shopping. That meant I got distracted a lot if Tsuna was able to do that considering how long we'd taken when we were working together.

"Sorry," I said. "I got distracted."

As we started walking away, I eyed Pineapple warily. It was almost as if I was expecting him to follow along after us, and I even breathed a sigh of relief when we'd paid and made it out of the store.

"Was that someone you knew?" Tsuna asked.

_I guess he counts as one. _"You could say that," I admitted. "That was our first time talking though."

"No wonder it looked awkward," Tsuna laughed.

_You have no idea. _I shook my head quickly before our conversation picked up again. It was nice to be able to casually laugh with Tsuna as we walked the streets; he wasn't even looking around the corner to see if his friends would pop up at random intervals now. I didn't have to look out for Kyouya at that point either, he would be inside his school at that moment probably upholding the discipline as he liked to put it. My eyebrows automatically furrowed as my thoughts drifted back to him. If he'd read my note already and seen my possessions, even the small amount, were gone I was curious to know what his reaction was. I couldn't imagine him jumping in the air from glee or punching a wall from anger. I had no clue what type of feelings he had towards me, but I had to guess dislike from the actions I'd taken towards him.

My lip was being gnawed on when I finally came to terms with my feelings. Earlier I was contemplating about whether it was love or not, but it definitely had to be when I was reflecting upon it. Even with my past girlfriends, my reactions hadn't been anything similar to how they were at that point. My heartbeat seemed to increase whenever he so much as met my gaze and I honestly thought I would've imploded if he initiated any sort of intimacy between us.

"D-Dino?" Tsuna's voice brought me out of my line of thought.

I hummed in acknowledgement.

"Are you okay? You're blushing," he pointed out.

My free hand immediately went up to my cheek and I did find out that it felt hot. Tsuna wasn't lying at all and I couldn't blame the weather for my appearance.

"Absolutely fine," I blurted out.

There was no way I'd blush if I didn't have feelings for him. Even my body reacted unconsciously when all I was doing was thinking about how I felt.

"Leaving was a great idea," I mumbled under my breath sarcastically.


	16. Socialite

**I Like To Stalk You: **Oh girl, happy dance away! Mukuro's even more of a stalker than you? Lies. Absolute lies. You'll always be the only stalker in my heart. :D Loads of Hibari in this chapter! **fuwacchi: **My blood belongs to you? You sound so possessive I'm getting turned on. orz I R NOT A JOKER. Take me seriously all the time babe. Yeah, you're so much weirder than me. I mean c'mon, gross. You're a DPOV addict. IT MAKES ME SICK. Sick! I hate DPOV! Stop bothering to ask questions you know I'm not gonna spoil. The last time I spoiled to you I face palmed and got a bruise! A BRUISE! Well, there's Tsuna in this chapter. Enjoy, I guess? Only Kyouya making fun of him though. XD Omg our love letters! :'D They made my YEAR complete. **Chimchar: **Haha well your one-shot is already up. You seemed to like it too. ;) Don't worry, I can't write anger, angst or anything remotely tragic so itll be happy days soon~ **miawpyon: **That was a huge complete! *hides blushing cheeks* D: **Eyes17k: **Kyouya's to the not-rescue…retrieve? I laughed. You failure. XD **alguien22792: **YOU'RE ENCOURAGING MUKURO TO RAPE HIBARI? LOLOLOL. If I put that in there I wonder how many people will flame you for too much Kyouya-abuse! **Paradoxismminant: **Don't worry, HB is getting beta'd at a VERY slow pace! **Paradoxismminant: **Mukuro is a rapist too. Lock up your windows. **NikkiGray: **Haha you're just waiting for the smut! You fiend! **Ninjabandgeek: **Too long since I've updated. I'm sorry D: So glad you like my short and crappy chapter! **18plusForMe: **LMAO. You forgot who has fruit hair? Damn! I actually have an old picture of me where it looks like I have pineapple hair. It's bloody fantastic. :D **Paradoxismminant: **Gay turtles and masturbation = my life is completele TO BE HONEST. **Paradoxismminant: **Knew you were just in this for the smut. XD **Paradoxismminant: **LOL GREAT REVIEW THERE. I think you just spasmed over your keyboard. **Paradoxismminant: **Go go Kyouya, find Dino and sex him up! D: Bet you were thinking that all the way through it. **Paradoxismminant: **Angst? There was no angst, I can't write angst! Your reviews made me smile it's okay. **Doesitreallymatter: **I made Dino cute? O_O LOL. Damn. Still can't believe you drew that picture for me /jizzes over the keyboard. OOPS. ): **BeautifulHonest: **YEEES, IT'S CHAPTER 15. LOL. ._. You were really excited there! I know I said that this would be a long chapter, but there is a reason why it's short! THERE IS A REASOOOON. Omg blushed. Number one fan gets LOOVE. **meikau: **Teehee, you're enjoying it. **meikau: **Your typo would've been cool. You've disappointed me. **meikau:** LOL smut fiend. **meikau: **Yes yes, Mukuro. I'm glad you like the slow pace. **meikau:** You always knew Kyouya's junk was fake? Have faith! **meikau: **Sorry for the cliffhanger and gay waiter! He should have a warning of his own. **meikau: **Ohoho you like bloody kisses? :D **meikau: **Yup yup, information. Dino needed a backstory! You just can't wait for the smut, can you? **meikau: **derp. **meikau: **Glad you like them both then :D **meikau: **Stop looking for smut hints damnit! LOL. **meikau: **Energetic. o-o **meikau: **I'm your idol? **meikau: **LMAO YOU. Your comments made my day, especially the sore ass one! **meikau: **A lot more chapters to come, don't worry. There will be more characters. ._. **Rena:**Why ty. **Rena: **Quiet and enjoy it. **Rena: **But sexy? **Rena: **He is really creepy. **Rena: **Dream was awkward! **Rena: **Lol okay. **Rena: **:D **Rena: **Should I cut them down? **Rena: **:D:D **Rena: **I'm getting lazy with my replies now. **Rena: **Real lazy. **Rena: **Enzo is always cute.** Rena: **Glad you liked the lemon, that was my shitty first. :D **Rena: **Really? They were IC? **Rena: **Omg yes! :D **Shiieru-chan: **Of course I'm gonna continue this! :):) -hide blushing cheeks- You're so kind!

**Beta'd by fuwacchi.**

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter sixteen—Socialite

**HPOV**

"You're pathetic," I spat.

"A-ah, H-Hibari-san," he stuttered.

A smirk settled itself onto my lips when I noticed the scared tone his voice possessed along with the deep breaths he seemed to be taking in an attempt to calm down. As my tonfa collided with his chest again, I was disgusted to see droplets of blood fly out from his mouth along with his breath. Even if the droplets of blood were soaking into my uniform, it was an outlet for my irritation.

It had been over two days since Cavallone had left my apartment. It wasn't only that that had my irritation levels rising at random points; it was the fact that I hadn't found any traces of him anywhere in Namimori. It seemed ridiculous for me to actually be looking for someone, but for some reason I wanted to see him. When I eventually went home, the silence that was filling my free time was absolutely unnerving. I needed an outlet of some sort, and the sickening gleam my tonfas possessed was all too attractive. I'd picked them up without a second thought on Wednesday, choosing to go outside and find a victim instead of sitting inside an empty room. I didn't like the way my breaths echoed in each room, even if Hibird was resting upon my hair at the time. The thought of violence had sent a shot of adrenaline through my veins and I was immediately craving the rush of a fight.

Yesterday, it hadn't been that eventful. Although I'd found a couple of delinquents—or individuals who were stupid enough to smoke in a public park—it wasn't enough to satisfy my craving for violence. My sadistic streak had never worried me before, but it was becoming strikingly apparent since Cavallone had decided to disappear from my sight. It seemed that as soon as my thoughts drifted towards him, my hands clenched into fists and the urge to punch something became strong. It had only been about once a week, maybe even twice, that I felt the need to cause pain.

It wasn't as if causing others pain brought a smile onto my face, it was merely a form of stress relief. When others went off to batting cages or even played some sort of a game, I picked up my tonfas. My irritation would gradually decrease with every blow that another person received; it didn't particularly matter to me if I knew them or not. As long as there was a reasonable excuse for hurting them; I didn't like the thought of breaking an innocent person's arm.

"W-wait," he panted.

_No. _I let my elbow connect with his cheek, efficiently sending the male to the ground in an awkward position. I was surprised that he had lasted as long as he had, almost ten minutes in total. Normally, my victims would have either passed out or even attempted to scamper off by then. I couldn't even remember their so called crime as my foot connected with their chest. I wasn't satisfied as I heard the breath leave his lungs or even when I thought I heard a loud crack.

_Waste of my time. _I shot the wounded male a look of disgust before I started heading back to my apartment.

The frown on my face only got deeper with every step that I took. It didn't matter when I turned a corner and found out that no one was there in the way or anything remotely similar. Even when the urge to kick a nearby stone had became too strong and I didn't happen to miraculously slip, I still wasn't happy. When I finally looked up to see my destination, I was momentarily stunned. An incredulous expression quickly formed on my face before I shook my head, willing my mind to explain what had happened. I hadn't ended up at my apartment at all, instead I was standing just before a park that wasn't littered with any children. That was probably why I hadn't noticed earlier; there were no noises of children running around or jumping on each other. I narrowed my eyes as I thought about whether I should stay awhile or head straight home, but I quickly kicked the latter out when I spotted the same tree I always seemed to go to.

"I swear this tree is my agony aunt," I muttered to myself as I sat down with my back pressed against it.

Although I could feel the ridges of the bark digging into my back, I didn't move forward or adjust myself. I simply let out a sigh before rolling my shoulders, trying to let my muscles have a small rest. I'd probably moved too much for my own good the past few days. My arms had ached dully whenever I'd lifted them up, sometimes even throbbing after I'd delivered a blow to an individual. _I need a good stretch. _

A deep frown formed on my face as I let my thoughts take over again. It wasn't as if I was lonely without Cavallone around—definitely not—it was just odd not to hear him chuckle or anything remotely similar inside my apartment. The silence inside the rooms seemed eerily heavy as I crossed through them in my trek to the front door. I hadn't been inside his room since the day he left; I knew there would be nothing different about it.

When I'd finally ventured outside on both days, I wasn't doing anything nearly pathetic as putting up missing person posters. I'd simply looked out in my peripheral vision for a blob of yellow hair or even tanned skin; both of those features weren't common in Japan, so there was a chance it was him if I caught sight of them. I wasn't going to smile or anything remotely similar when I finally did see him again. As I clenched my hand into a fist, I thought about the satisfying crunch his face might make when it made contact with my fist. I was going to hurt him, there was no doubt about that. If he'd got away with only one broken limb, it could be considered a miracle.

As I leaned further back into the trunk of the tree, something that certainly wasn't living or a piece of bark stabbed into my lower back. I blinked in shock for a few seconds before twisting my torso around, just enough to see what the hell was digging into me. I was momentarily floored when I'd inspected what it was though—I wasn't expecting there to be some sort of a letter half sticking out of the ground. It was obviously buried before in a half-hearted attempt, probably by a couple of kids. I clucked my tongue lightly to myself before turning around, choosing to ignore the envelope. It wasn't any of my business and I was not going to go out of my way to fix a strangers mistake. If the letter was dug up by a dog, I was only going to shrug my shoulders at the scene.

"Hibari," I heard from above me.

I whipped my head up in shock and immediately met the sight of my fluffy yellow bird flying towards me. I narrowed my eyes at Hibird at first, wondering whether or not to be worried about his disappearance.

Yesterday morning, Hibird had flew out of my window before even attempting to chirp my name. I had kicked it out of my mind at first, deeming it as normal behaviour. That was the last time I'd seen him though and when I had called his name lowly one night, he didn't turn up. I glanced down at the bird now perched on the end of my index finger before moving to pet him. He had a life of his own after all, he couldn't stay with me all of the time. I was probably just being overly sensitive. _Since when was I sensitive?_

A low sigh made its way out of my throat before I stood up from the ground. Automatically, I moved my hands to wipe the dirt and dust off of my uniform before I momentarily stretched my arms out in front of me. One of my legs had gone numb from the odd position I was sitting in and when the pins and needles finally kicked in, I hissed lowly to myself. I wasn't pathetic enough to stay still and wait for them to be over, but I did voice out my irritation when I took a step forward.

"Hibari, Hibari," Hibird chirped.

"Hn?" I acknowledged him as he jumped around in my hair now.

Hibird chirped my name again and I glanced up in confusion when his beak tugged on one of my strands of hair. I raised my index finger up at him, indicating I wanted him to jump on there and stop ripping my hair out as soon as possible. I stared into his beady eyes after he'd hopped down though it didn't last long before he flew off towards the tree. I sighed quietly to myself before following along after him, knowing that if I didn't he'd make more of a racket and possibly pull out more of my hair. I wasn't protective over it, but it did hurt when an individual strand was plucked out quickly.

My eyebrows shot up when I saw him pecking at the letter that was halfway out of the ground. I ran a hand through my hair quickly, debating inside my mind whether or not to inspect it. Hibird was interested; maybe it had some sort of seed inside of it. My eyes were narrowed as I bent down to pick the letter up, but even more so when I flipped it over and read the name upon it.

There was nothing more peculiar than finding my name written upon a random envelope. My hands clenched together around it as I inspected the handwriting, trying to find out whether I knew who had written it or not. It didn't ring any sort of a bell inside my mind. I eyed it warily for a few moments and had a butchered attempt of a staring contest with Hibird whilst debating whether or not to open it. Although I was curious about who had even left a letter—and found out that I came to this tree—the hairs on the back of my neck were a clear indication that I also did not want to. I was nervous, that was for sure. After taking a deep breath, I twisted my fingers around the paper and pulled them in opposites directions slowly, inwardly cringing as the noise of tearing paper met my ears. Nothing dangerous flew out nor were there any seeds as I held two halves of the envelope and the paper inside of it.

The pieces of paper flew out of my hand by a strong gust of wind and I decided to just leave them be. It couldn't have been that important if the individual didn't deliver it face to face, instead leaving it in the open where anyone could've found it. I ran a hand through my hair, but it stopped mid action when I thought about who exactly could've left it.

There was one person that had left a note instead of coming face to face with me, but that was inside my room which was better than outside in the open. I contemplated whether or not it was Cavallone for about two seconds before I shook my head, pointing out inside my head that the writing was even different. I wasn't even fazed that I knew his handwriting after seeing it about two times. It was a bit hard to forget the messy scrawl that had me inwardly cringing and possibly on the outside too.

My thoughts were interrupted by my pocket vibrating. I fished out my vibrating phone quickly and arched an eyebrow when I saw who exactly was calling. Kusakabe never called unless it was urgent.

After I'd placed the speaker to my ear, his words crackled through. "Hibari-san."

A frown settled on my face when I heard that he was out of breath, that wasn't right at all. "Hn," I urged him to continue.

"There's a problem," he confessed before stopping to cough.

My eyes narrowed as I stared down at the ripped pieces of paper by my feet again. If there was a problem big enough that he had to call me at around five o'clock in the afternoon on a Friday, it had to be something he couldn't solve by himself. I didn't answer, instead waiting for him to continue his explanation.

"Idiots," I hissed to myself after stuffing my phone away again.

My pace increased greatly as I walked towards the town, ignoring the curious chirps from Hibird on top of my head. He chose to settle himself even further into my hair as I clenched my hands into fists by my sides. It was absolutely ridiculous that most of my subordinates had been beaten by a single male from the sound of it. Kusakabe hadn't seen the individuals face, but he had seen the discarded bodies littering the alleyways by the shopping district. Apparently he'd walked off casually as if nothing had happened at all whilst there were no flecks of blood on his outfit. I frowned to myself before turning the corner, finally stepping foot into the shopping district. Although it was almost half five at that point, there were still loads of people.

As my narrowed eyes looked around, I noticed there was no way I was going to find the person responsible in that crowd. I didn't particularly want to step inside the crowd either, letting people brush their shoulders against me whilst they talked into their phones. It wasn't usually that busy at this time of day, but of course since it was Friday many people wanted to get their tenseness out of their muscles. I shuddered lightly to myself before I chose to walk through the alleyways, looking to see if there might've been anything interesting inside of them.

It was actually eerie walking down an alleyway with only the sound of my footsteps echoing against the brick walls. I shook my head to keep my attention on the task at hand; I wanted to find at least someone that looked responsible for making a ruckus. If they denied it over and over, I would at least have another reason to make them cough up blood. They would be being too noisy and making my head throb.

I was close to cursing out loud after I walked through at least five alleyways and a few streets. There were absolutely no suspicious people; not even an underage student smoking. It seemed to only be small groups of people, chattering over about their trivial affairs. I sighed quietly to myself before fingering the handle of my tonfa within my jacket, contemplating who to use it on.

My eyes were narrowed as I leant back to rest my body on the wall behind me. It was the perfect place to view whoever was going to walk through the shopping district; I even had a good view of who was entering shops on the other side if I squinted a tiny amount. As my eyes scanned through the crowd, trailing over each individual, Hibird started digging his beak into my scalp. I hissed lightly in pain before raising my hands towards him, scooping him inside and dragging him down to look at me at eye level.

"Hibari, Hibari," he chirped at me.

As much as I tried not to, my eyes narrowed at him. "Hn."

My eyebrows automatically furrowed in confusion when Hibird moved up to tug on the strands of my hair again. Straight away before I could remove him with my hand, he flew forward in front of me before turning around to call my name again.

_Either I'm going crazy or he's trying to tell me something, _I thought incredulously to myself. My sanity really had to have been slipping as I took a step forward in order to follow him, even more so when I quirked my eyebrow to myself and trailed along after. It was probably a strange sight to see, a vibrant yellow bird about a metre in front of a teenage boy whose facial expression never went anywhere near the category of happiness. I mentally shrugged the curious looks that were sent my way off of my shoulders, it was good to know that no one had the nerve to step forward and question me about it though. Though I was trying to play the situation off as not being embarrassing, it was too _odd _to be classed as normal.

Hibird had noticed that my attention had dropped from him after a few moments, that was for sure when I almost walked into him. My eyes momentarily went wide as I narrowly sidestepped the fluffy bird from hitting me directly in my face. It would've been better if he was a few centimetres above my head instead of attempting to block my view, but it seemed that I didn't have a say in the matter. I ran a hand through my hair quickly before starting to move again, this time turning a corner when Hibird found it appropriate. It really wasn't my imagination at that point; he wasn't roaming around in circles or carelessly going in whatever direction he wanted. I could clearly see Hibird look in both directions before settling on one of them and chirping in a loud voice to get me to follow again. My head was throbbing from the amount of cheeps I'd heard after ten minutes of following him. He wasn't quiet for even a minute, constantly calling my name before occasionally bursting into song at random points. _He needs to be taught something new. _

One more corner and we'd apparently reached Hibird's destination. I blinked in surprise as I saw him fly ahead again, this time faster than usual, and settle himself down in someone else's hair. It wasn't just the untameable mane of brown hair that I recognized straight away, it was the short build and too thin limbs as well. I had never seen Hibird perched within Sawada's hair before and I even had to resist the urge to laugh when I saw his beak pull on some strands of the brown hair, resulting in a high shriek echoing through the hair. I lightly hissed in displeasure as the sound reached my ears, immediately making me realize he probably didn't have any male genitals.

"Hi-Hibari-san!" he squawked.

My tongue was clucked lightly in disgust before I could even think of a better response.

"I-I didn't expect to see you here," he stuttered whilst reaching his arms down for his hands to wring his shirt nervously.

It wasn't as though it was Sawada Tsunayoshi alone that annoyed me, he just always happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whenever there was a loud bang, sometimes that resulted in individuals screaming too, but whenever I went to inspect the scene he was there. Messy hair, too skinny body and pale and shaking, without fail he was _there. _At one point I'd wanted to groan out loud in frustration from always coming across him and his trio, sometimes it was just him alone, and then facing the damn stutter that never seemed to go away. If I'd just stared at Sawada, he'd either let out some kind of peculiar noise halfway between a shriek and a hiccup or stutter enough to make him sound like he was five years old. Every single time my eye twitched in irritation and he never even noticed.

I inwardly grimaced as I saw his mouth start to open and close, acting as if he was part fish. _I don't see any gills, _I thought grimly to myself.

"You're still in your uniform, H-Hibari-san," he squeaked.

As my hand clenched into a fist I fought back the urge to throw a book at him. If I could make a novel appear out of thin air, I would have been beyond impressed with myself. It definitely belonged to smash into his face until that damn stutter was gone. _I don't tolerate children. _I quickly shot an incredulous look back up to Hibird, but all I was met with was the sight of him sleeping within Sawada's untameable mess of hair. _Damn bird. _I sighed lightly to myself before narrowing my eyes down at Sawada, immediately amazed by how fast I got a reaction.

The odd noise came out of his mouth again before he'd staggered backwards, almost tripping over his own feet.

When my thoughts trailed back to someone else who tripped over his own feet, my glare deepened before I pivoted on my heel and walked away. Hibird would eventually find his way back to me; he'd proved that this morning after disappearing from my life. I was determined not to be too effected by his departure; after all, it was absolutely normal. I was just making a big deal out of nothing.

"Idiot," I hissed under my breath at myself.

For about half an hour I walked around Namimori aimlessly. I had no clue what I wanted to do with myself, but not after long I found out that I didn't mind just walking. It was refreshing to simply stroll through the streets with the breeze gently assaulting my face with every step I took. It was relaxing that was for sure. I could feel my irritation heating down with each minute that passed, even the frown was absent from my face as I walked in the general direction of the local café. I'd figured that if I had nothing to do, a little caffeine couldn't have hurt. It definitely seemed like a good idea, but I was quickly proven wrong when I'd rounded my last corner.

My movements stopped as I absorbed the sight that was a few paces ahead of me. To anyone else it would've been normal, absolutely mundane, but it meant a lot to me. Enough to actually make my eyes widen in surprise and my thoughts to stop for a few moments.

All I had seen was a blob of yellow located where hair should have been before the body disappeared into the café. Not only was blond an unnatural colour in Japan and if I ever saw it, it was almost white and bleached to the extent that I wanted to prod it to see if it would dramatically fall out. I quickly shook my head, trying to get my sanity back in its usual state before taking a step forward. I was _not _going to be a herbivore and stop my actions because my imagination had made something up. I swore I'd only seen it not even more than a second, therefore I'd casted it out as not being reality. _Am I pathetic enough to want to see him that badly? _I thought incredulously to myself.

It was humiliating to think that I'd anticipated seeing someone, even going as far as to possibly imagine them. That was definitely the moment I had to look at the ingredients of whatever I'd consumed. I'd never experienced that before, not even as a child. When my parents had still been together, I never craved to be in their company. I didn't like being showered on the very rare occasion by the attention. If anything, I looked forward to my time alone from them. My mother was the only one left at that moment—my father had died a few years ago from some illness, he was too weak to be related to me anyway—and didn't constantly shower me with attention. She had tried straight after father had died, but that quickly failed as she noticed my violent spurts, as she called them, became worse with the more attention I'd received. The correct term would've been socially awkward.

To that very moment, I was still socially awkward. It seemed fitting to admit it inside my head as well after years of denying it. At first I'd claimed I hated people in general, but that was proved wrong now.

"Wonderful," I muttered sarcastically.

The amount that I seemed to be talking to myself had increased too. Before it would be subtle little comments, maybe if I'd hurt my pride by stubbing my toe or even tripping over my own feet on the rare occasion. Now I was commenting on my inner monologue—that never seemed to go away—and not even caring about the curious glances that were sent my way. I didn't have it in me to glare at every passerby anymore. I simply walked ahead, letting my anger out when I deemed it necessary. My personality was changing slightly, that was for sure. _Is that good or bad? _I didn't know whether it was good or not; my sadistic tendencies were not being toned down at all, instead being built up until I snapped on an unlucky individual.

My head was shaken again before I took a few steps forward, coming closer to the café than ever. I had to resist the urge to strain my neck to see if I could see inside, but I knew I would hate myself for doing such a thing. I settled for frowning lightly to myself, mentally repeating the same phrase over and over like a mantra. _Don't be in there._ If Cavallone really was inside, I couldn't predict what my reaction would be like. It could've been negative or strangely positive and if I was extremely lucky, it would be bipolar, constantly swapping as my thoughts surged through my mind. The inside of my cheek was bitten down upon harshly as I saw a blob of yellow in the café window.

It was definitely not my imagination at that point—it had stayed too long with a face attached to the hair. It irked me to no end that Cavallone was smiling brightly at an unknown figure beside him, eyes crinkling at the corner from the intensity of it. My eyes narrowed as I saw him throw his head back to laugh before moving forward to the glass door, giving me a clear view of how he looked from the last time I'd seen him.

Not much had changed; he still had his tall but lean build, clothes that seemed to fit too snugly and that god damn welcoming aura.

Both of my hands clenched into fists as I saw him step out of the café and immediately turn around to face whoever was trailing along after him. My eyes widened a considerable amount when I noticed who it was—there was no mistaking the stuttering mess that I was talking to not even an hour ago. I didn't see any nervousness in him at that moment, even when he moved forward to playfully shove Cavallone's arm. _What the fuck? _

The expression upon my face was definitely incredulous as I saw them walk off down the street, too close in each other's personal bubbles to have only been friends. I hadn't bothered to question Cavallone's relationship with Sawada before, merely shrugging it off of my shoulders when he went off to visit him or left a note. I hadn't thought about the last note he'd written to me, saying that he was going to be staying with Sawada. I found myself trailing along after them, mentally slamming my head against my imaginary wall with every step that I took. I hated my behaviour at that moment—it was pathetic—but I wanted to find out what was going to quench my sick curiosity.

There was no Hibird perched in Sawada's hair so I assumed he had trailed off somewhere else, probably in search of food. I felt uncomfortable trailing after them, but I wasn't going to run up to them and demand for an explanation. _No, that's not my style, _I mentally huffed to myself. I crossed my arms over my chest when I felt a dull throb within it as I saw Cavallone place an arm over Sawada's shoulder. There was no sign of surprise or even rejection from the brunette, he simply carried on as if it was natural. _Was he doing this every time he left me? _I bit down on my tongue in disgust before I corrected myself. _Before he left the apartment. _It wasn't my business, I repeated to myself that it wasn't, yet I couldn't tear my eyes away from the scene in front of me. With every movement either of them made, my eyes either narrowed to a point where I had to pry them open to see or they widened in surprise momentarily. Skinship was definitely not a problem between them, I could tell that within a few minutes.

The question I practically started to scream at myself inside my mind was why I was still following after them. Although my footsteps weren't echoing eerily like they had earlier, each one created another dull throb inside of me. I felt pathetic, even lower than a herbivore, as I saw him take another step. Another step farther from me, running away from what had happened. Although it wasn't that much of a big deal, he'd fled like a coward, ran into the arms of a _younger _male that just so happened to possess the talking abilities of a five-year-old. _Fantastic. _My eyes narrowed as my gaze travelled over to Sawada, just in time to see him latch onto Cavallone's arm and drag him forward whilst pointing at something I couldn't have cared less in.

As a growl ripped through my throat, I knew there was something wrong with myself.

_You're kidding me. _My eye twitched as soon as I'd seen where Sawada had dragged Cavallone to. It wasn't just to view some birds or anything remotely similar, much worse. Instead, they were standing in front of a bloody ice cream truck laughing and smiling whilst cracking a joke with the vendor. My hands were clenched into fists for what seemed like the millionth time as my irritation levels were building.

As I was contemplating whether or not to slam my tonfa into Cavallone's head, efficiently knocking him or injuring him, I realized something that made me sick all the way to my core.

I was acting as though I was some lovesick female, trailing after her ex-lover, wanting communication between them bad enough to result in stalking. I shuddered violently in disgust to myself before pressing my heels down on the ground to stop myself from moving any further. It was not my concern if Cavallone had another male that he liked to toy around with.

It didn't matter that I'd been replaced by someone else.

It didn't matter that I'd been replaced by someone else who was younger.

It didn't matter that I'd been replaced by someone else who was younger and couldn't form a proper sentence.

Before I'd figured out what had happened, my annoyance level had finally snapped. It was definitely an anger release when I'd pulled my arm back before giving the wall to my left a right hook. I gritted my teeth against the pain before pulling my hand back cautiously, inwardly cringing at my stupidity. Bleeding knuckles, raw cuts and a soon to be bruised hand was _not _showing I was absolutely fine with what was happening. I contemplated what to do with my damaged fist as the aching within my chest intensified. Another hiss of pain escaped my mouth as I wiped my hand against the bottom of my shirt. It was already ruined by my victim's blood earlier, so I figured that it was the best idea to use it as a towel and possibly a bandage of sorts. My eye narrowed at my own actions as I tore a strip from the left side of my shirt. It certainly did make the air hit my skin more, making my temperature drop a small amount. I wrapped the cloth tightly around my hand after I'd raised it up to lick off some of the stray droplets. Once I was satisfied with my very awkward handiwork, my arm dropped back down to my side and I moved my head back up to normal level to walk straight out of the shopping district and into the safety of my own apartment.

Apparently that wasn't going to happen anytime soon though. As soon as I'd changed my line of vision, my eyes had connected with a pair of sienna irides. Unintentionally, I gulped whilst trying to stop my eyes from widening. There was one thing that was going well for me at that moment; there was no damn blush across my cheeks, making me more humiliated than I would usually be. It was awkward simply staring back at Cavallone, even more so when his surprised expression eventually melted into one I couldn't even indentify. Sawada had strolled off somewhere during my episode with the wall, meaning that there was no one to annoyingly tug on Cavallone's shirt and draw his attention to pointless things. I had all the awkward attention directied at me which made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. _This isn't good. _I used my non-dominant and uninjured hand to eventually trail to the back of my jacket to finger one of my tonfas. Although I seemed to have been frozen for seconds on end, it was quickly forgotten as my anger flared up again. I gripped the tonfa harshly as I clenched my other hand into a fist, attempting to ignore the wet material pressed against my skin from the wounds re-opening.

_This is weird, _I thought to myself as I took steps towards him. Too weird. I could see with every agitated step I took, Cavallone's expression would change. At first it was surprise, next incredulous and eventually bordering on the line of terrified. The last expression was definitely my favourite, I could tell that by the smirk that crept along my lips. My eyebrows automatically furrowed when I was only a few steps away from Cavallone. He wasn't showing any signs of moving, not even to defend himself when I eventually revealed my tonfa placed in my left hand. I held it in a ready stance in front of me as I eyed him warily, just waiting for the dreadful feeling of leather across my skin to come.

Yet it never did.

As I took the final steps towards him, I could clearly hear his breathing as well as the heavy heartbeat inside my chest. I frowned to myself as I took another step, this time raising the tonfa up quickly to press against the skin of his neck. I could clearly see his laryngeal prominence pressed painfully against the cold metal of my weapon. I could almost make out every breath he took with every rise and fall of his chest that was almost pressed against my own. I didn't mind that I had to look up as I pressed the tonfa further against his throat, making him gasp out for air before slamming his mouth shut. Although I couldn't use my full strength with just my left arm, I tried my best to leave a dark bruise across his skin.

A growl of frustration left my throat before the tonfa became limp. "Why aren't you defending yourself?"

My frown just deepened as one of his tanned hands came up to slowly remove the tonfa from his throat. I let my arm fall down to my side before the tonfa was stashed away inside my jacket again.

"I deserve this," he rasped.

"If you're just going to give in," I hissed. "You're not worth my time."

Maybe my thoughts from over the past week were wrong. If Cavallone was always such a pushover, not even considering fighting back and stopping himself from getting injured, I was furious with myself for even wasting a few minutes of my life on him. I didn't want to spend time with a herbivore who could have been replaced any minute of the day.

"Kyouya," he sighed.

My eyes widened when I heard my name called by him again. It shouldn't have sent a jolt through my body or even made a small flame ignite within my stomach. _Imagination, _I reassured myself.

"Don't," I spat. "Don't you dare call my name." _He's lost the right to._

The next thing I saw in my line of vision was one of his limbs moving up to meet me. I tried not to show how awkward I was feeling as I saw Cavallone raise his hand up, obviously moving it in the direction of my face.

_Socially awkward, _was the only thought going through my head, almost echoing from the amount of times it was repeated.


	17. Revelation

**fuwacchi:** I couldn't resist making you think Kyouya was having sex with someone. Girl, what was that message on DocX? You don't know how long it'll be 'till we talk to each other? I'm gonna cry! Wait. I think I'm a genius. You've got your new internet today! I should be online until seven o'clock for you, so good luck. May the force be with you. Dino's an idiot so he doesn't sense Kyouya and his stalker abilities, I guess? :D I don't know! I'm only throwing character's in for more speech at the moment! I tried so hard but gave up after two mintues. Sob. They were out together, you boob. I explained this to you on MSN since you got confused, like the genius you really are. I'm not gonna tell you what was in the letter, boobface. I'm trying so hard not to spoil anymore to you. :C **Ninjabandgeek:** Why is everyone wanting some 6918 noncon? I don't ship that pairing! It's not romantic! D: -rocks in corner- Your ideas were beautiful, of course, but I just imagined a tentacle monster attacking Kyouya and then Dino riding in on a Ponyta to save the day. Excuse me whilst I hit my head on the wall.** I Like To Stalk You:** Kekeke, this was actually posted on Christmas day for me, but time differences are a bugger. It ended up being posted on the wenty-fourth, sob. Did this chapter make you happy? :D I tried to follow what people wanted. I hope you had a happy holiday, too. I'm an atheist also. :P BeautifulHonest: You should be even more happy of this reuninion! I think? I used like 6,000 words for about one scene...? orz I can't write fluff to save my life. Angst, too. Just expect bad smut, rushed situations and no dialogue and that's me in a nutshell. Seriously, haha. **18plusForMe: **Hibird's not a bitch. He wouldn't bring Kyouya to Mukuro. C: I hope. Does he love him? Dundunduuuuun! Turns out he loves himself too much. Oh well. **Eyes17k:** LOL, YOU. You amuse me. Instead of a punch, Dino gets kicked and bruised a bit through this chapter? :D An almost kiss, too. I'M NOT READY FOR A MAKEOUT SESSION. SOB. **NikkiGray:** D'aww, I'm glad you liked it. I was scared people weren't gonna read it since I posted it on Christmas. D: Thanks for the encouragement! Kekeke, there will be some more jealously soon. **Doesitreallymatter:** I can't write sadness. Don't be silly. C: Took your suggestion and used it! It didn't exactly work well for Dino, though. Poor thing. **alguien22792:** Oh gosh, you make me laugh. People are saying the chapter was sad, bullshit I say, and you were laughing? You have no soul! I hate Tsuna, so in most of my fics you'll find something bashing him haha. I don't mean it to happen... it just does. I always have shitty cliffhangers, sob. I need to work on that. You just want some action in their bed. LOL. **azel-chan:** It was supposed to be longer, this chapter, too! I cut them down at the last minute. e_e;; My chapters are gigantic? LOL. I think they're really small. 8-9k is long for me. :e I usually hit really small numbers before... giving up. Stupid Dino has a smart moment whilst thinking about Kyouya's age in this chapter. Ohoho. You don't like Tsuna, too? I love you more and more with every review, Azel! I'll beat him up sometime for you haha. I hate 1827, too, yet I had a story for it for some reason... Sob. Deleted that shit, man. Don't you worry. Lemons are a coming, don't you worry, haha. I'm updating a lot more lately. :P Did a shitlong chapter for Sadistic Thrill, too. THERE'S ANOTHER NEW FIC. INCEST D18. YUM. **L-L-Love: **Thank gosh you didn't read my crackier version. Silly, Love. You've had this on alert but didn't read until I spammed your fics with reviews? Psh. **L-L-Love: **You're not pure 100%.** L-L-Love:** LOL. So you have read that bit, I'm sorry. **Rikka1:** This story is in love with you, too. I think you should elope. Holy crap you make it sound as though I'm making a D18 religon LOL. I wish, sob. **Face Faith:** Pretty close to 200 but I don't think I'll ever hit that. 100 is too much for my little brain! Only one who would think about what happened after raping Kyouya? LOL. Amusing. **Face Faith:** Going up to Tsuna's home, kicking the door down then punching Dino in the face? I should've wrote that. 8D orz I can't write drama, so I'm sorry it seems exaggerated. Going up and demanding an explanation = showing weakness. YOU SEE. The letter was ripped and thrown onto the floor. p: I can't write fluff! It'll fail! I'll attempt some later on, just for you. Thank gosh you've realized 16 chapters hasn't actually covered that much time lol. I don't think others do? I've got Kyouya kicking Dino back to the apartment before going on his man period again. :D Ahh, you've caught onto something else as well. I don't like writing speech lol. I'm trying to improve on that! Really! I tried to include a lot of speech in this.

**Beta'd by fuwacchi.**

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter seventeen—Revelation

**HPOV**

The limb that had been coming towards me, towards my face to be precise, had stopped moving after a few moments. Cavallone had frozen before dropping it down by his side, letting his eyelids flutter shut as he released a small sigh. I lightly clucked my tongue in disgust when I saw he seemed to be giving up again, not even attempting to coax me into believing something else. If this was how our relationship of sorts was going to be like from that point on, there was absolutely no reason for me to be sticking around. I wanted to see the blonde with an ego, smiling when it wasn't appropriate and even harassing me. That was who I had gotten used to; not a pathetic being who didn't mind being hurt if he deserved it.

"K-Kyouya," he called softly.

_Seriously? _I thought incredulously to myself. The feeling of anger spiked through my veins at that moment; increasing a considerable amount as I saw him staring down at me with an expression I couldn't make out. A soft call of my name was not what I was anticipating. "Why are you such a herbivore?" I sighed whilst letting my eyes close slowly. I didn't want to stare up at the same expression as before, it was just making the situation even more confusing. There was the chance that Sawada would walk into us and start his god awful squawking, too. I don't think I could've resisted the urge to slam the end of my tonfa into his face if he produced a sound that I was only just capable of hearing.

"I'm not a herbivore," he defended himself. "I just—"

"Quiet."

"Kyouya," Cavallone sighed quietly.

"I thought I told you not to call my name," I hissed before unintentionally clenching my hands into fists. The hand that had been coming towards me before had long since dropped down, hanging beside his thigh just like the other. As much as I wanted to glare down at his limbs, I settled with opening my eyes again and glaring back up at his tanned face.

"But, Kyouya," he'd started but was quickly interrupted by my harsh voice.

"Were you—" _Only toying with me? _I'd stopped at the last moment, slamming my mouth shut and averting my eyes, choosing to stare at the wall to the side of him. As I stared at the rough texture of the bricks, I made sure my pride was still fully intact and stopping me from voicing out my thought. I felt as though I would've been admitting defeat, saying that he had made my thoughts revolve around him even though it was for a limited amount of time. I didn't want to acknowledge the facts that were clear in my mind by announcing them out loud, for anyone in the open to hear. Before Cavallone had crashed into me, a little over a week ago, I would've simply scoffed at the thought before moving on to either feeding Hibird or letting my fist connect with someone's flesh.

My lips were pursed together as I took a step back deliberately at the same time Cavallone had placed his right foot forwards. I arched my eyebrow in curiosity as he took yet another step towards me, this time leaning in a fair amount in the process. Blinking in bewilderment, my fist clenched even tighter as I could clearly hear his no longer labored breathing. My eyes unintentionally trailed down to see his chest dramatically moving up and down, making the t-shirt that was stretched across his torso crease.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

_Sorry? _If Cavallone was feeling sorry, there were surely better ways of showing it then advancing forward and muttering two words, barely above the level of being audible.

"I didn't mean to—" he'd started, but a strangled form of a gasp coming from his own throat cut him off as his eyes trailed down to look at the right side of my body.

I blinked in bewilderment before he stumbled forward again, almost knocking into me much like the first time we'd met each other. Instead of letting him trip over his own feet and fall into me, I narrowly sidestepped and watched in amusement as he let out another gasp just before his body made contact with the floor. With a small thud, I swore I could see the dust that lifted off the floor from the impact. Not even five seconds later, Cavallone pushed himself back up again and attempted to play it off as a completely normal occurrence. A smirk had spread across my lips as he roughly pushed the dirt off of his clothes with a light blush staining his face. It was nice not being looked at for awhile whilst his attention wasn't directed at me. It was refreshing, to say the least.

"I'm an idiot," he moaned whilst running a hand through his hair.

_That's obvious, _I internally scoffed.

My smirk only increased as I saw the red mark across his cheek, nose and he'd even scrapped part of his chin. The marks were bright red and I swore in some areas I saw a few drops of blood seeping out from the wounds. My thoughts trailed back to my own wound just as my eyes widened a small amount. My right arm was lifted slightly, just enough so I could peek out of the corner of my eyes to see how much of my own blood had soaked through the material of my shirt that I'd loosely wrapped around it. I grimaced when I noticed how tender my skin was and the dark scarlet shade the cotton was now possessing.

The expression upon my face was incredulous when I felt and even saw his tanned hands clasp one of my own in his. I blinked unintentionally as I felt the warmth from his flesh seep into my own, a tingling feeling settling between our connected skins, too. Some sort of lump built up in my throat as I leant away from him, trying to ignore the intensity of his stare I could feel on my hand. It was obvious he was inspecting the scarlet soaked material wrapped around my knuckles. My lips were set into a frown when one of his fingertips gently trailed over the cotton, making it press against my reopened wound. Biting down on my tongue, I tried to keep the hiss of pain that was practically begging to be voiced out at bay. It would've been embarrassing to produce a noise and show discomfort from his intrusion in my personal bubble. I still wasn't over being awkward, that was for sure as I inwardly grimaced at his prodding fingertips.

"Kyouya," he murmured to himself whilst turning my hand over to the side.

_He's got soft skin,_ I observed. I could make out that his fingers were lightly calloused as they pressed against my skin and eventually, I found myself relaxing against his touch. That didn't mean my body was moving closer into him though, I was still leaning as far way as possible as he scrutinized my makeshift bandage.

"You idiot," Cavallone sighed quietly. My eyebrow arched as I saw his bangs move forward to cover his expression, but I could clearly hear a tutting noise come from his mouth. "You didn't even attempt to clean this."

My eyebrow quickly lost its posture after I'd processed Cavallone's words. He didn't have any right to be worried for me; even if I hadn't attempted to clean the wound, if it was infected he shouldn't have cared in the slightest. Ripping my hand away from him and seeing his head flick back up, making his bangs become airborne for a few moments, I wasn't satisfied by seeing a surprised expression momentarily flash across his face. My teeth were harshly pressed together as I placed my right hand back down by my side, pressing against the material of my trousers lightly. It didn't irritate the wound further, which was good, but my mood instantly shot down as Cavallone's own arms fell back down.

Through gritted teeth I spat, "You have no right to be concerned."

His eyes had widened from my comment, letting me have a clear view of his sienna irides that were shining in confusion for a few moments. Soon after, his eyebrows became furrowed as I saw a small dusting of pink become noticeable across his cheekbones. _Why is he blushing? _When his eyes were averted from my own—and I couldn't even make out his pupils from his bangs in the way and the shadow now on his face—I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. It was definitely not the type of situation for someone to start blushing in. I hadn't even blushed once during the meeting and yet, there Cavallone was at that moment with one hand covering his mouth gently, eyes looking in a different direction and an expression that was unidentifiable.

"I—" he'd started but quickly stopped himself and opted to swallow roughly instead, making his laryngeal prominence stand out even more.

As my eyes trailed over the flesh of my neck, a strange thought shot through my mind. _If I can feel when Cavallone's looking at me, can he feel it when I'm looking? _My frown became deeper as I contemplated the idea, but quickly dropped it when Cavallone was showing no such reaction from my prodding eyes. He never had before so there was no way he would randomly start when I began to wonder about such a thing. _Give up, _I internally sighed. _It's one-sided. _

My canine teeth scrapped against the flesh of my cheek as I realized yet another feeling between us wasn't mutual. I was the only one experiencing it and a shot of irritation went through me when Cavallone's face was turned completely away from me. _I missed this idiot? _It was absolutely ridiculous that I could've developed a small amount of feelings for him, even more so when I was forced to acknowledge it whilst he was in my presence and penetrating my personal space.

With my knuckles now throbbing a considerable amount, I took a step back before glaring up at his turned head in annoyance. Slowly—as if sensing my agitated stare on his face—Cavallone turned around to face me, finally letting his expression become visible. There was no more blush spread across his cheekbones, instead his mouth was set down into a frown, much like my own but smaller, whilst his eyebrows were furrowed. His mouth and eyes were contradicting each other; one showing annoyance whilst I swore I could see something within his deep irides. _What is this? A staring contest to see who'll crack first? _It certainly seemed like it, that was for sure as our eyes had been awkwardly connected for what seemed like minutes on end. In reality, it was probably only around less than a minute, but his expression didn't falter as I felt my left eye start to twitch in annoyance. A staring contest wasn't what I wanted. If anything, I wanted to vent my frustrations out like I'd done in the past. If I coaxed Cavallone into some sort of a fight, it would've just been a mangled attempt at one. With my dominant hand hurting and sending spikes of pain through my arm when I clenched it too hard or attempted to use my tonfa, the fight would not have been slanted in my favor. I didn't want to feel the cold leather of his whip wrapped around my body for awhile, too. Even though I'd accepted what had happened, it was another reminder of weakness. If I could help it, I wasn't going to admit to myself as having herbivore moments.

"Kyouya, I—" he sighed before cutting himself off, slamming his lips closed with a soft thud.

_Is he just trying to think of a lie? _I thought incredulously. Ignoring the copper liquid that was flowing into my mouth steadily from my teeth grazing against my flesh too harshly, I reached my left hand back into my jacket, fingering with the material until I felt the cold metal of my tonfa press against my overheating skin. Immediately grasping the weapon, the sound of my clothes rustling were the only other sounds apart from our breathing that was almost amplified. I could still see the subtle movement of his chest with every breath that he took in, even more so as he closed his eyes at random occasions; I could only assume he was taking in deep breaths whilst trying to keep his expression as neutral as possible. It was working, I could tell that for sure when I could only make out the subtle curves of his lips and the twinkle of his irides.

The thought of being lied to wasn't one that I agreed with. As my tonfa was being raised up in front of me, my eyebrows slanted down automatically as a scowl settled onto my face. The only emotions that were clear on my face seemed to be negative and I found myself approving at that moment. If I showed happiness from seeing Cavallone's eyes widening from looking down at my raised hand, the cold atmosphere surrounding us would've been ruined. It was wonderful that we still hadn't been interrupted; individuals probably caught sight of us before shuffling and continuing on with their lives. It was the smart thing to do, that was for sure. I didn't know what I would've done if an ignorant woman or man walked between us and made me have to take a step back to let through without brushing against my personal space.

The sun shined directly onto the metal of my tonfa as I opened my mouth, but before I could even produce one syllable Cavallone had spoke.

"Violence is always your first resort, isn't it?" he asked softly.

_Rhetorical question, _I told myself. My arm tensed as I processed his words and my eyes narrowed further as the corner of Cavallone's lips were tugged lightly into a small smile. I didn't appreciate him attempting to soften his words with his expression; it was insulting that he'd assumed I couldn't sort any of my problems out without resorting to making them bleed out of an orifice. It was definitely a hobby of mine, that couldn't have been denied, but the fact that he'd pointed it out deliberately and had the nerve to feel smug about his discovery ticked me off. It wasn't appropriate.

"Violence," I spat. "Gets the message across quicker."

"Oh?"

Gritting my teeth, my right hand curled into a fist again as the tonfa was raised higher, as a clear indication that I wasn't going to stop myself from hurting him. Although I would have probably felt regret later—like I had in the past—it felt appropriate at that moment in time. Being toyed with, though I wouldn't admit it out loud, discarded and then lied to was _not _what I wanted to happen in life. In the space of just over a week, too. _I really am like a herbivore now, _I admitted. _An omnivore at my lowest. How can people deal with situations such as these? _Though it wasn't exactly the worst that could happen, it was the most drama that had happened in my life for sure. Nothing revolving around my family life had sparked as many emotions inside of me and just the thought of Cavallone had a recognizable reaction.

_It could be an allergic reaction. _"Kyouya," he drawled my name out with an exasperated tone present in his voice. "You're just making your wound worse."

_He's still acting as though he's concerned? _My eye started to twitch again and as I saw his hand slowly reach out towards my own, completely ignoring the tonfa that I had levitated in the air.

I felt humiliated that he didn't see me as a threat. He was treating me as if I was a young child who couldn't take care of himself; I knew that I needed to clean my wound out later if I didn't want to risk the chance of infection, but it was surely obvious that I cared for my wounds when it was suitable. If I was an idiot and left them, I would've had a lot more scars staining my skin than I possessed at that moment in time. My canines grated against the flesh of my cheek again, making the copper liquid flow again, before I dropped my raised arm down in disgust at myself. _I'm just making a fool out of myself. _Quickly, I'd stashed the weapon back into my jacket.

"Don't touch me," I hissed as I moved my body a few steps away from him again. By moving backwards, more into the street, the sound of talking and laughter became louder, finally overlapping the sound of our breathing.

"Kyouya." The amount of times my name had been called through the last thirty minutes was more than I could bear. His right arm was lifted up again with his hand reaching out in my direction as I heard a sigh come out of his mouth. Unintentionally, my muscles tensed from the invasion of space again and as soon as his hand was literally a few centimeters away from me, I smacked it away with my hand, making our connecting skin create a loud snapping sound. The scowl was present on my face again as I stared up at him with disgust.

"I don't need your false concern," I spat.

"Wha—"

My voice quickly interrupted him, cutting him off with my sharp tone. "Especially if it's from a herbivore."

His blond eyebrows immediately slanted down, for once not contradicting the rest of his expression. A firm frown was set across Cavallone's lips as he took a firm step into my direction. The lack of distance between us at that moment was irritating but I'd quickly forgotten about that as he opened his mouth to speak.

His tone was clearly exasperated. "Why aren't you accepting my help?" One of his hands been raised up for emphasis as he pronounced his words, but as soon as a sigh had escaped his lips it had dropped down to rest beside his side. "I'm just trying to look after you."

"I don't _need _you."

"I never said you needed me!" the blonde protested, his voice gaining volume with every syllable.

Ignoring my throbbing wound and scraping my nails against the flesh of my palm I retorted, "Your actions say different."

"You're just being difficult."

_Difficult? _I thought incredulously. I wasn't doing anything of the sort, I was only telling the truth.

"Kyouya," he whispered.

When his arm was lifted up yet again, this time moving towards me instead of being up for emphasis, I grimaced inwardly, or at least what I hoped was inwardly. Seeing his face move towards me as well as his body was unexpected and made my eyes widen in surprise. Our lack of distance was even worse, especially when his tanned nose was almost pressing against mine. It seemed as though my body was frozen, not responding at all to my commands, as he advanced even further. His arm had snaked around my shoulders, therefore making it so Cavallone's fingertips were gently pressing against the nape of my neck. The hairs on the back of my neck started to stand up as I felt my skin start to heat up from the contact, my pores prickling where we were connected, too.

When his lips were almost pressed against my own, the thoughts inside my head were incoherent.

"D-Dino!"

Immediately, I jumped out of Cavallone's grasp as he jerked himself backwards as well. I stumbled back and embarrassed myself a moment before regaining my balance, at roughly the same time Cavallone did, too. I could feel my cheeks had heated up, yet I chose to ignore that fact as my narrowed eyes turned to the right to see who had the nerve to stumble between us with a high pitched voice.

There were only a few males who possessed such vocal chords, so I should've known exactly who it was. My eyes were narrowed into slits as I burnt the image of Sawada looking horror stricken into my retinas. _Really? _I thought incredulously to myself. He wasn't looking my direction at that moment though, instead staring at Cavallone—whose face was a worse shade of red than my own—with his mouth hanging open. Letting my teeth grate against the flesh of my cheek again, I watched as Sawada and Cavallone had some sort of a strangled staring contest with both of their faces stained.

"Y-you'll get hurt again!" Sawada squeaked before his hands were slapped over his face, covering up the last syllable before his eyes widened even further. He peeked out of the corner of his eye at me in what seemed like fear before looking between Cavallone and I rapidly.

My teeth were grating together as I felt as though _I _was the one intruding. It should not have felt that way, yet as I saw Cavallone simply staring forward at Sawada, not bothering to look in my direction once, I felt like I was interrupting their alone time yet again. Sawada had been the one who'd walked up, squawked loudly before slapping his hands over his mouth. _I don't have time for such childish things, _I clucked my tongue lightly whilst acknowledging the thought.

"If Cavallone gets _hurt,_" I spat. "The bastard deserves it."

The same squeak that had hurt my ears previously came tumbling out of his mouth again before he'd sidestepped, moving more towards Cavallone and distancing himself from me. It looked as though Cavallone was protecting a young child or something remotely similar as he smiled softly at Sawada before stepping towards him, too. It was almost as though he was moving in the way, protecting Sawada from the probably violent aura I had surrounding me.

"It's fine, Tsuna," Cavallone muttered to him. I could barely make out what he was saying, since he'd turned around enough for only the side profile of his face to be seen.

"B-but—" he'd attempted to protest, but as soon as he'd acknowledged the glare I was sending his way, he'd stopped in shock. All of Sawada's movements stopped for a few moments before he stumbled backwards, dramatically enough that Cavallone had to reach his hand out to stabilize him.

Taking a step towards them, to the side so Sawada could clearly see me, I hissed, "Leave."

Cavallone's answer was the first one I could make sense of. Sawada's had been one of his high pitched noises again. "What?"

"I said leave, Sawada Tsunayoshi," I growled.

"E-eh?" he squeaked before moving out from behind Cavallone. "I-I can't leave D-Dino, Mom's expect—"

"Leave," I repeated lowly.

He'd grimaced before sending Cavallone a pleading look, but I didn't peek out of my peripheral vision to see what kind of response he'd been given. He scuttled away quickly though, proclaiming that he'd meet up with him later just to make sure that he was okay. My eyes followed Sawada as he left the street, sending a concerned look back at Cavallone again before disappearing into a crowd down the street.

My teeth were grinding together as I turned around to face Cavallone's bewildered face. The expression in any other situation would have been slightly amusing, but since my irritation levels had spiked since the brunette's appearance, I opted to walk forward until my body was almost pressing against his right arm. He was still turned to the side, meaning as I lifted my left leg up to make contact with his leg, my foot harshly pressed into the back of his knee. Cavallone let out a painful gasp as he stumbled forward, his hands groping the air in front of him in an attempt to stabilize himself. When Cavallone was bent over awkwardly, I let my foot hit against his lower back to push him forward yet again. As the sole of my shoe made contact with his clothed body, I could hear a low thud before it was drowned out by Cavallone groaning again.

I clucked my tongue in disgust before I lowered my foot and crossed my arms over my chest, staring down at the sight of Cavallone picking himself up from the floor with wobbly arms.

"K-Kyouya," he coughed.

"Move," I demanded before walking past his crumpled form. He'd emitted another groan of pain before lifting himself up, but not before rubbing the gravel out of his enflamed palms.

"Kyouya?" he called after me.

I chose to ignore his call and simply kept walking forward. It was reassuring to hear his curious footsteps following after me, showing me that he wasn't going to complain with what I'd clearly implied with my kick. I wasn't going to admit out loud that I wanted him to come back to the apartment; kicking him until he understood where he stood to me was better. It got the message across quicker—as violence usually did—and meant I could feel the sick feeling of pleasure inside my chest as I saw him gasp out in pain. It probably wasn't healthy, especially since I'd regret the action later on, but the sound of Cavallone gasping out loud was akin to music to my ears. Sick, of course, yet my lips curled up into a twisted form of a smile or a smirk as I heard him cough harshly. Turning my head to the side and walking around a corner, I saw Cavallone brushing the dirt off of his clothes whilst walking towards me.

"Stupid blonde," I muttered under my breath.

Only the sound of our footsteps could be heard as we walked at an unconsciously slower pace, still with me in front and Cavallone trailing behind. The atmosphere was calming down, letting an awkward air settle down between us. A lump was building up in my throat before I'd knew what had happened and the sound of footsteps becoming faster met my ears. I tried not to jump too severely when I saw Cavallone catch up with me, choosing to walk next to me so our arms were almost brushing. I sidestepped to the right, putting enough distance between us so that there could be another person walking awkwardly. I didn't want the feeling of our connected skin sending jolts of emotions through me, especially when I was trying to keep the frown upon my face. If I had a neutral expression, I had the feeling the situation would not have been going how I'd planned it to. A sharp gust of cold air hit my moist knuckles, making the wound within the material sting after a few seconds. I'd lowered my eyelids as a hiss of pain left my throat, completely forgetting that the blonde had been edging towards me with every step that we took. I glanced down at my hand that was unconsciously curled into a fist before unclenching it slowly, flexing out my fingers so I had full control and in an attempt to stop the throbbing. I definitely needed to lather it with some sort of antiseptic cream when I was back inside my apartment and place a real bandage around it inside of a scrap of my shirt. From the part I'd tore off, the wind was hitting against my abdomen even more than usual. I shivered a small amount as I saw Cavallone shuffle even closer, even moving his arm out in an attempt to brush against me. _Annoying, _I thought whilst gritting my teeth together.

"Kyouya," he called lowly. "I don't know much about you."

_Good. _Ignoring his words, I tried to walk faster and make him trail behind me again, but Cavallone quickly matched my pace and moved to brush his arm against mine quickly. I stepped to the side again, still walking faster and trying to make my footsteps the only sound audible, covering up his breathing that reminded me he was beside me. I kept my eyes fixed forwards, deliberately not looking in his general direction as we advanced.

"Are you fully Japanese?"

_I wonder where Hibird went off to? _I mused internally. The last time I'd seen him, it was before I'd caught sight of Cavallone.

"Don't ignore me," Cavallone sighed.

_I'll ignore you to my heart's content. _I contemplated whether or not to let my foot connect with his leg again, knocking him forward and causing another painful gasp to escape his lips, but I decided against it at the last moment just as my leg was itching to be lifted. If I hurt him any further, he'd probably turn around and walk away again. I chose to grit my teeth whilst trying to block out his voice, ignoring the questions that were being thrown my way.

"Guess I'll just tell you about myself," he sighed. "I'm Italian, in case you couldn't tell."

I blinked in surprise before I knew what had happened. That explained when I'd walked back into the room and heard him talking to someone on the phone in a language I didn't understand. I'd played it off as gibberish at the time, telling myself he'd made up an imaginary friend and a code to talk to them at the same time. Now that I knew, it was understandable for the way he sometimes stumbled over his words and his complexion. _That's why his hair's so bright. _

"Now you can answer my question," he prodded.

Whipping my head to the side to face him, I spat, "I don't want to get any closer to you."

As I stared into his sienna irides, I quickly had to avert my eyes before gulping roughly. _That's a lie, _I pointed out. For some reason or another, I simply lied and faked agitation instead of answering his question. He would've shut up quicker if I answered the question, too, but I hadn't contemplated it enough.

"Don't be like that, Kyouya."

Unconsciously, I'd let my arm brush against Cavallone's own and became accustomed to the heat that was transferring between us. Jerking away with a reaction similar to that of being electrocuted, apparently not playing it off naturally enough since I could see from my peripheral vision that Cavallone had turned his head towards me curiously.

"Just Japanese," I said quietly._ I should've just said so in the beginning._

"What was that?" he asked loudly.

My lips were pursed as I sent him an irritated glare, but all I saw were the corners of his lips tugging up into an amused smile. For the first time that day, I could see Cavallone's irides twinkling in what seemed to be amusement whilst he tried to hold back a laugh. _He heard me clearly, _I mentally grumbled. I kept my eyes looking down onto the pavement I was going to step onto instead of looking up at Cavallone beside me. He was enjoying the fact that he wasn't spitting blood out of his mouth, for sure. I'd lost the desire to kick him for some reason and punching was definitely crossed out of my list of options. It would've either been painful, inflicting more pain onto myself than him, or awkward and probably missing it's target. My hit with a tonfa would've been a considerable amount less, too. _I'll just insult him if I feel the need to._

"Tsunayoshi's my cousin, Kyouya," he admitted after a minute of silence.

Without opening my mouth to ask him to explain further, I arched my left eyebrow in curiosity. The proclaimed family status explained their relationship that they shared, at least for the moment whilst I decided to hear him out. I couldn't see the resemblance in their appearances, though. That was one of the best faults for his explanation.

"Younger, of course," he laughed. "He's the reason why I'm here, well wa—" Unexpectedly, Cavallone had stopped his sentence halfway through, slamming his lips together before turning his head to the side, but not before I caught sight of the blush that had blossomed upon his cheekbones. I blinked in surprise, before raising both of my eyebrows that time, curious about the reaction and the chance to embarrass him further.

"Oh?" I mocked.

"M-moving on," he coughed into his clenched fist before turning around, the blush still bright against his skin. My eyebrows didn't lose their posture as I saw his tongue dart out from between his lips to moisten the selected area. "That's why I'm staying with you."

"That doesn't explain a thing," I grunted.

"I didn't want to impose, so I looked for somewhere else to stay," Cavallone explained quietly.

_I guess that makes sense, _I internally mused. The explanation was acceptable, though their appearances were completely different still, and it explained how he'd contacted my mother and appeared randomly at my door. There wasn't a chance that he was a stalker, though it didn't cross out the fact he'd practically jumped onto me after he'd crashed into me. There was no way I was going to accept the fact our first meeting was _my _fault. That would've been annoying to acknowledge, especially since it had lead to too many confusing events after it. Such as the one I was currently in at that moment—the fact that I'd kicked Cavallone forward and urged him to come back with me was past what I would usually do. I wanted him in one piece, too, that was hard to comprehend. _Why do I care? _I'd acknowledged I was attached to him, but that wasn't enough to not want him bleeding onto the concrete beneath our feet. Earlier—when I was irritated—I'd felt a sick thrill from seeing him gasp out in pain but at that moment in time, I was feeling regret. _I'm turning fucking bipolar._

"How old are you, Kyouya?" he asked.

_Is this because you might be classed as a pedophile? _Although I was older than the age of consent, I had no idea how old Cavallone himself was. He didn't look older than around a nineteen-year-old, but I couldn't have been too sure. My own subordinate who was almost sixteen looked as though he should've been thirty. Looks were deceiving, meaning that I would only find out how old Cavallone was if I sucked up my embarrassment and asked. It would show I was curious about him, though, completely contradicting my lie from earlier. I was pretty sure he'd figured out I was lying as well, it would've made it even more obvious if I started asking questions not even thirty minutes later. In protest to my growing curiosity, I crossed my arms over my chest quickly whilst turning my head to face in front of me. If I didn't answer, Cavallone would probably tell me about himself. That's at least what he'd done in the past; so I was hoping the same would happen at that moment.

"You're _still _in middle school," he mused. "That means you're young."

_Should be in high school. _I wanted to point that fact out, but if I answered I wasn't going to get Cavallone to admit his age or anything remotely similar. If I let him contemplate about my own age for a few minutes, at most I hoped, he'd moved on before being satisfied.

Cavallone was quiet as we walked along and when I peeked out of the corner of my eye, I saw him staring down at the floor in front of him instead of looking in my direction as he had done before. I raised my eyebrow in curiosity before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Fourteen," he murmured under his breath.

My eyebrow dropped back down to its usual place, just as my eye twitched in irritation. It was understandable that he thought I might've been younger but it was annoying nonetheless. _Sixteen, _I corrected inside my mind whilst grinding my teeth against each other.

"Oh no," I heard him say before his voice got too quiet to make out.

"I'm not fourteen," I spat.

Immediately, his head whipped around to face me with so much force his bright bangs were momentarily airborne before they settled down randomly across his face. "You're not?" he asked loudly with surprise apparent in his voice.

I frowned up at him. "No."

"That's a relief," Cavallone sighed dramatically before letting a musical laugh tumble out of his lips.

My eyebrows furrowed at his reaction—not fully understanding it—before choosing to shrug it off of my shoulders. I wanted him to answer with how old he was, but the exclamation never came. Instead, the sound of our breathing and our footsteps echoing against the empty streets were the only noises I could make out. I gulped before we turned the last corner, just about to walk into the entrance of the apartment building before I heard a faint call of my name.

I could only make out the last bit, but I was pretty sure it was my own name. "—bari."

My feet stopped in their tracks before I turned my head around slowly, looking for the source of the sound and straining my ears to hear any noise again.

"Kyouya?" Cavallone asked from in front of me.

He hadn't heard the call of my name, apparently, only noticing that I'd stopped in my tracks as he'd taken a few steps forward and wasn't able to see me in his peripheral vision. I turned my back to him as I heard my name called again, this time clearer and even more high pitched.

"Hibari."

A smirk played on the corner of my lips as I saw Hibird flying towards me. Unintentionally or not, earlier he'd done something helpful. He'd led me to Cavallone when my pride had stopped me from going outside and looking. _I'll make sure to buy him some seeds later, _I thought to myself. I raised my index finger for him to land on when he was almost a meter away from me, trying to ignore Cavallone as he took a step closer to me in curiosity, and used my other hand's finger to press softly against his fluffy head.

"Hibari."

My muscles tensed as I thought back to the task I'd set myself before I'd stumbled across Cavallone. I'd intended to go out looking for the culprit who had the nerve to beat up my subordinates, but apparently, I'd gotten distracted and forgotten all about it. When I'd been walking back to my apartment, I could've been looking out for anyone suspicious instead of trying my best not to be pathetic enough to brush my shoulder against Cavallone's. I grinded my teeth against each other as Hibird jumped off my hand—just as it had clenched into a fist and the other, injured, one had fallen down by my side—and cursed inside of my mind. I didn't think I was pathetic enough to forget something important, but apparently I was. Turning around quickly I walked at a fast pace, ignoring Cavallone's call of my name, and opened the door before trudging my way up the stairs as quickly as possible. My irritation from earlier had came back, but intensified as the thought of someone laughing at me behind my back came into mind.


	18. Musings

**alguien22792: **It doesn't matter how many times he says Kyouya's name, it's still sexy haha. You know it. Well, did I just die when I read your sentence about tsuna. 'Stupid little gay cockblocker'... Pfft. You're brilliant, Algu. :D Yup, Dino's back at the apartment. There will be pineapple in the future, unfortunately. :o This update was slow, I know! **BeautifulHonest: **Haha, you got excited there. Alright, I'll put you down as wanting some G27. d: It's fine! Go be busy with life. ^^ /sob my chapters _always _repeat themselves, you should know this. Ahh, I'm sorry you couldn't understand it. I'm not good at describing feelings haha. **Eyes17k: **Mood swings are hot, pfft. Yup, Dino did. ;) Little bit of touching and feeling through this. ...I forgot about Hibird though. Crap lol. **Ninajabandgeek: **I dance in my seat when you review~ p: Couldn't resist, had to say it. **Doesitreallymatter: **Ohi there, I'm gonna call you Dirm for short. ;D Hope you don't mind. Odd, isn't it? I'm finally updating a lot when I really should be doing stuff irl kekeke. Just get round to it whenever, focus more in real life. ^^ Oh my... If I get another fanart from you, I think I'll die of happiness. Not kidding. ;o; **Face Faith: **You strange child. p: I'm pretty sure I could drag that out and make it long. Then hate myself inside. ._. Fluff? _FLUFF? _You should know I can't write that! I stick to bad conversations—which lack speak—and bad smut! Gawsh. Ooh, I've never seen that film. o.o Heard of it though, might look into it just because you said it, haha. It's unintentional! I just don't like Tsuna so he becomes annoying and I'm there like, 'derp'. You really love quoting don't you? Makes me embarrassed every time. Ahh, I don't read the manga 'cuz the art annoys me lmao. Woops. xD **strawberrycream11: **I blushed. You're too kind. **fuwacchi: **Well, you are a bit of a bitch and I haven't been able to bug you about it, haha. :P I'll write a love letter to you soon! I kind of... forgot to do it. **IchigoKitty14020: **Sorry that most of the chapters are me just being a derp and dragging useless stuff out lol. I appreciate you taking your time and reviewing though. 8D

**Beta'd by fuwacchi.**

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter eighteen—Musings

**DPOV**

As I noticed Kyouya's pace had sped up, I called out his name. The only reaction and response I got from him was the sound of his feet hitting harshly against the floorboards as he walked up the stairs quickly, shutting me out as a bemused expression became apparent across my face. His reactions had changed in less than a minute; surely, since he'd clearly indicated with his violent actions that he'd wanted me to follow him, shutting me out wasn't what was supposed to happen. Gnawing self consciously on the inside of my cheek, I trailed up after Kyouya, quietly pondering over what had just happened. My eyebrows were furrowed as I saw him walk inside his apartment, but making sure to not slam the door hard enough to make it close. Again, his actions and then the attitude, that he was making clear at that moment, were contradicting each other.

Stepping inside, I noticed that Kyouya had started to walk slower, only just turning the corner to walk into his living room as I closed the door softly behind me. _What's wrong with him? _I asked myself. Without warning, his mood had completely turned around, his eyebrows slanting down dramatically before he'd walked off. I was pretty sure that I hadn't done anything to annoy him, especially since he'd even answered a question I'd asked. That was a good sign in the beginning, but as soon as Hibird had came, things had gone downhill. Turning the corner curiously after I'd heard a low thud, I saw Kyouya searching through his kitchen cupboards for something, squatting down on the floor as he looked through.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

As usual—despite my half-hearted attempts to convince myself things were different at that moment—I received no answer from him. He simply moved on to search through another cupboard, this time placing a glass bowl down onto the floor before searching again. A small noise close to a mumble left his mouth, but from the distance I was at I couldn't identify what he'd said.

_Why am I even here? _Of course, I'd wanted to simply say goodbye to Tsunayoshi and then visit Kyouya again, but the thought that he'd hated me had popped into my mind. But he'd contradicted that by simply coming to see me, it seemed. Although it could have been unintentional; after all, he'd just been standing outside whilst I was walking around with Tsuna. Turning around and seeing Kyouya standing beside a wall was shocking, but even more so was the expression that was upon his face at that moment. I'd seen anger flashed across it, irritation and pleasure too, but never one such as that. I couldn't fully identify what it was, but immediately when he'd caught sight of my surprised face, it had melted into one of shock before he'd started walking towards me. With every step he'd taken, my heart was hammering inside my chest and I'd wondered what the hell he was doing. It was a miracle that Tsuna wasn't beside me though, considering his reactions to Kyouya before, it wouldn't have ended well.

When I'd stayed in Tsuna's guest room, there had of course been questions about why I was there. Although I'd averted my eyes in the beginning, eventually, I'd told him just a little bit. He'd been worried since it was apparently the 'scariest man in Namimori' that I was staying with, but that wasn't at all the reason why I'd left. It had taken some time for Tsuna to believe that too, even widening his eyes before denying ever saying such a thing. If it got back to Kyouya that Tsuna had proclaimed such a thing, he would've been beaten up. It was understandable to an extent, but I couldn't understand why so many people were wary of Kyouya. Maybe because I was used to violence from my lifestyle, unfortunately, I didn't mind the threats that were directed at me. They were hardly ever carried out, though. The amount of bruises I'd received over the past week and a bit were mostly from my own doing. _My clumsiness strikes again, _I mentally sighed.

"Kyouya?" I called when I heard him mumble to himself again.

I was beginning to worry about him at that point. Not only was his hand injured—I'd been surprised when I'd first caught sight of his blood staining the lazy bandage that was wrapped around it—he was talking to himself and experiencing mood swings. _It's not as though he can get pregnant, _I pointed out to myself. That explanation was thrown out of my mind quickly, carrying on to the next to question his mental health. Something being wrong would explain his mood swings, sadistic tendencies and awkwardness around crowds.

The real problem would've been working up the courage to actually voice the question out loud. There was no doubt in my mind that he'd take it the wrong way—if there was even a right way to take it—and twist it so I was making a jab at him. Unless there was pure concern laced into my tone, I was probably going to be walking away with a bruise. _I've already got enough of them. _Taking a cautious step forward, I watched Kyouya slam shut a cupboard before moving onto one that was attached to the wall.

"You've been looking for about ten minutes already."

"Shut up," he growled.

I blinked in surprise before my mouth curled into a small smile. Leaning back against a wall, observing his actions, I was happy that I wasn't being completely ignored. It wasn't the best answer I could have received, but from Kyouya it was good enough. I would've been even more worried if I got a positive one with happiness etched across his face as he pronounced each syllable. _That's definitely not like him. _

"I could help," I offered. "Just tell me what you're looking for."

Rejection was almost immediate. "I wouldn't ask a herbivore like you for help."

"You don't need to ask."

Carrying on to ignore me and slam another door shut, Kyouya turned around halfway, just enough for me to see the side profile of his face. As usual, his dark eyebrows were slanted down in displeasure as a frown was stretched across his lips. Even when Kyouya had been blushing before—except from when he was under me—a frown had also been etched onto his expression. It was frequently his companion, gracing his face whenever it wasn't appropriate. Acting similar to a defense mechanism, popping up whenever someone had gotten too close or prodded at his pride. That was a constant mood killer; his pride. Kyouya couldn't seem to let go of it, taking half-hearted comments as a stab and losing his temper. Maybe it was from not talking to others often. From what Tsuna had told me, since he'd known Kyouya since the start of middle school and only rumours beforehand, Kyouya had only been seen around with some of his subordinates. Never willingly striking up a conversation with someone unless it was completely necessary. It was reassuring to know that he hadn't been in any relationships, despite the fact he'd received Valentine's gifts and such before, yet the fact that I'd tainted him was crushing to know.

It had taken me far too long to contemplate Kyouya's age. I knew that he was still in education, therefore a minor, but the actual age wasn't what I'd been concerned with in the past. When I'd been walked beside him a little less than an hour ago, gently letting my arms brush against his as I told myself not to reach out and grasp his hand, the weight of what I'd done had finally crashed down onto me again. It wasn't just his height that gave away his age; the short temper and uniform he dressed in constantly, too. The thought of having feelings beyond ones that were suitable for someone almost eight years younger than me was embarrassing. I'd covered my face in horror, not wanting to look into his curious eyes when I'd began to work the cogs inside of my mind. He had to have been relatively near Tsuna's age—which was fourteen—so the guess of fourteen was suitable to begin with. Unintentionally, the number had slipped past my lips before he denied it furiously, seeming offended by such a low number. Although it was past the age of consent, it would've still have been frowned upon. I didn't know what I would've done if he was that young, it could have been classed as pedophilia already. Especially as I walked by his side, him clad in a uniform whilst I was in casual clothes. If I was in a suit, like I wore for meetings and such, I would've been acknowledging my peripheral vision more and looking for the disgusted looks from others.

_It's not pedophilia, even if it looks like it sometimes, _I inwardly grimaced whilst reminding myself.

Kyouya stood up after a few more minutes and ran a hand through his hair quickly, the corner of his lips pulling his frown down further.

"Just tell me," I sighed.

A small breath of surprise slipped past my lips when I'd put two and two together. Kyouya didn't need to say anything out loud, but by that point in time, I'd finally realized what he'd been looking for. The last time I'd been looking for the medical kit, I'd searched through the same cupboards before finding it inside one in the far corner. I'd placed it back in a random one though, completely forgetting where I'd retrieved it from. I took a few steps forward, ignoring Kyouya's glare that was directed at me as he took steps away from me, and opened the one where I'd placed it in.

Turning around to face an irritated Kyouya, I beamed before saying, "Is this it?"

Averting his eyes, he answered, "No."

"No?" I questioned.

"I don't need that," he spat.

Taking a step in his direction, trying to ignore the fact he took a step back at exactly the same time, I asked, "Do you want your hand to get infected?"

"Only the weak get infected."

_Why does it sound as though he's in a bad zombie film? _I thought to myself, trying to hold back a laugh that was practically begging to be released. The frown that was spread across his lips looked akin to a pout as he refused my help, probably wanting to curse at me for finding the kit before him inside his mind. "You can, too, Kyouya."

The only attempt of helping the wound was the lousy piece of material that was wrapped around it. Surely, he hadn't tried to clean it with anything at the time, especially since when I'd caught sight of it the soaked cotton was still wet. _What did his parents teach him?_ I had heard from Nana that his mother was away for business of some sorts, but I'd never heard of his father before. That had to have been why Kyouya was lacking in certain areas, not bothering to be concerned with himself when it was needed. Everyone needed a father figure when they were growing up and from his behaviour, he didn't have one.

_I'll be damned if I'm going to be it._

Trying not to sound exasperated, I said, "Just let me put some cream on it for you."

"Why would I let _you _do that?" he snapped.

_Just ignore it, _I told myself. With every step forward I took, for the first time in a while Kyouya didn't take one back. Instead he was just looking up at me, eyebrows furrowed slightly as his expression was unreadable. He didn't stiffen when I was literally centimetres away from him, almost brushing against his front from our lack of distance. Swapping the medical kit between my hands, I unzipped it quickly before reaching it for the necessary items. I placed it on the countertop nearest to me after I'd retrieved the antiseptic cream and a small bandage. As I turned to face him again, Kyouya's expression was unreadable. He was staring down at my hands with a frown spread across his lips though, not looking up to see my own face.

_He better not be deciding whether or not to bite my hands. _I gulped quickly before pulling the cap off of the cream, eyeing Kyouya warily in my peripheral vision. He still wasn't moving, even though my intention was absolutely clear at that moment. I wasn't going to harass him—or at least I thought I wasn't—and simply attempt to make his wound better.

I was holding my breath as I picked up his hand, trying to ignore the fact that he didn't flinch or anything remotely similar. Instead, Kyouya averted his eyes and chose to look at the countertop beside us. Raising one of my eyebrows, I held his hand more securely in my own and observed his reaction. His eyes darted around again, this time settling on the wall instead. I blinked in surprise before a small smile curled around my lips, finally realizing what his reaction was indicating. I knew that Kyouya didn't like to accept help from others, but his reaction was only making it worse. The fact that he couldn't look me directly in the eyes as I was helping him was as if he was trying to ignore what was happening. Trailing my thumb across the back of his hand whilst placing the cold cream onto it, I bit back a laugh at his reaction. Kyouya had jumped from the sudden temperature, trying to cover it up by making his arm tense. _He's still trying to ignore me, _I observed. I applied the rest of the cream quickly, darting my eyes between his hand and his irritated face.

Wrapping the piece of material around his hand quickly, I made sure to keep my eyes on Kyouya more than his hand. The reaction was different to the last; instead of tensing his arms and averting his eyes, Kyouya simply stared ahead of him without darting his eyes towards me once. Shuffling forward inconspicuously as possible, I gnawed on my bottom lip as I saw the light dusting of colour across his cheekbones. _That's a positive reaction, right? _I asked myself. I couldn't give an answer though; I chose to observe him more to find out. Apart from the colour that was across his cheeks—that I'd assumed had came from the lack of distance, nothing else—he wasn't doing anything unusual. The same expression, probably the same thoughts going through his head. It was as though he was trying to forget he'd practically shoved me to follow him back to the apartment.

"Kyouya," I murmured softly.

There was no answer.

_What's he thinking? _I was still biting down on my bottom lip as I looked down at him; despite the lack of reactions from his end, his thoughts were still a mystery to me. He could have been contemplating whether or not to punch me in the face at that moment and I wouldn't have known. If I forgot about the blush—or classed it from the temperature—I should have been retracting my hand, since I'd tied the bandage correctly, and walking away. Kyouya's mood swings were becoming unpredictable, even worse than before, and as I brushed my thumb over his hand quickly, my eyes widened in surprise when I saw how his body was placed.

Somehow, I hadn't noticed it earlier, but it was strikingly obvious from our positions. Seeing Kyouya unconsciously tilting his body into my own—so he was closer than usual—was a shock. He was still looking away, acting as though he didn't know what he was doing. There was the chance that he didn't actually know, too. That would've been even more of a shock. It had been proven that he didn't hate me, but that didn't indicate how far his feelings for me went. Although they weren't ones of extreme dislike, that didn't mean he liked me. As far as I knew, Kyouya didn't want to be in my presence most of the time. Especially since he'd chose to pretend that we hadn't had sex. It was understandable; it was definitely one-sided at that point—still was—and he'd probably felt as though I was doing it to spite him. Pressing my teeth harder into the flesh of my bottom lip, I tried to keep in a sigh as I went over my thoughts again. Kyouya had done _exactly _that, not mentioning what had happened and only speaking the minimal amount. I doubted I could act like it hadn't happened; I wanted to run my hands across his flesh again, hearing him gasp out and intensifying the blush that kept staining his cheeks.

_No, _I told myself. If I carried on my line of thought, I would get myself into an embarrassing situation. It certainly wasn't helping that I could already feel my arousal growing; the heat spiralling inside my stomach and travelling lower from the images that had came attached to the thoughts. _Stop it. _

When Kyouya didn't remove his hand from my own, I blinked. He should have noticed that I was done bandaging it, even though he hadn't looked down at it. The lack of movement on my part should have been a clear indication that he could have removed it and carried on, and yet he still wasn't moving.

_Does he want me to continue? _

I gulped before convincing myself that it was okay to continue. Kyouya wasn't refusing—nor was he agreeing—and that was surely enough to attempt it. Darting my tongue out from between my lips and moistening them nervously, I leaned forward a small amount, still debating whether or not to press my lips against his own.

When I felt Kyouya's nails dig into the flesh of my hand before I processed the nearby chirping, I wanted to groan loudly. _Really? _I thought incredulously to myself. Dropping his hand and taking a step back, I turned my head to the side just in time to see where his attention had gone. Kyouya walked towards Hibird, holding his index finger out for him to perch upon. I found myself grinding my teeth together in an attempt not to voice out my frustrations. It was the second time we'd been interrupted, just when I was about to find out whether I could touch him or not. When I'd attempted to kiss Kyouya earlier in the day, Tsunayoshi had to come and interrupt. It was definitely a compromising position after I'd spent a few days trying to convince him that there was absolutely nothing between Kyouya and I. It could have been worse; if I was busy kissing Kyouya and then Tsuna had came stumbling along, I was sure his squawk of confusion would've been a lot louder.

"Hibari."

_Stupid bird, _I thought bitterly to myself. It got to get close to Kyouya without any questions asked, whereas when I got a chance for the first time in awhile, the damn thing had to interrupt. Hopefully, another opportunity would present itself when the yellow ball of fluff was sleeping or something remotely similar. I swore that if I got interrupted one more time whilst trying to get closer to him, I was going to pull my strands of hair out. I didn't have the patience for it; especially since I had other things to do, too. Frowning, I assured myself,_ I'm not going to get jealous over an animal._

The quiet hum of Kyouya's voice soon met my ears, just as I saw his lips move in time, but I couldn't make out what he'd said. It was directed at his bird as well.

_Not going to get jealous. _Averting my eyes, I chose to stare at the wall whilst trying to rid myself of the frown that was spread across my lips. It was ridiculous that I wanted the attention the bird received to have been directed towards me. I got attention from Kyouya, too, but it barely ever was the positive kind. Usually, a scowl accompanied it before he'd attempted to hurt me.

"Kyouya?" I called as I saw him starting to walk away.

Surprisingly, he did look over his shoulder to look at me. I blinked in bewilderment as he said, "If you leave, I'll make sure to hunt you down."

Before I could open my mouth to respond, Kyouya walked towards his room briskly and slammed the door shut.

Knitting my eyebrow together, I asked myself, "That's a good reaction, right?"

Kyouya's warning meant that he wanted to have me around—for what purpose, I didn't know yet—yet it was better than nothing. Raising my hand up to cover my mouth, my lips formed an affectionate smile as I looked towards his door. _He's just not being honest. _

"Better than being punched, for sure," I murmured before leaning back against the wall.

There weren't any noises coming from Kyouya's room, but I could hear the odd chirping noise coming from Hibird. Quickly changing my trail of thought, I refused to go back to my previous topic of being jealous of the fluffy thing. He'd been around Kyouya longer than I had after all; I wasn't sure exactly how many years, but from what I'd been told it had been more than a few. _He deserves it more than me. _I'd known Kyouya less than a month, yet I was pretty sure I'd done more with him than a bird. It was disturbing to think that Hibird had done anything at all; the extent of their relationship was Hibird settling into Kyouya's fluffy hair and perching upon his fingers. _He doesn't turn into a human at night, _I assured myself.

A shudder ran up my spine from thinking such a thing.

Running a hand through my hair, I let my eyelids flutter shut as I thought about what I could do. Most of my stuff was inside Tsunayoshi's home—I hadn't had the chance to leave Kyouya's side and collect my clothes or anything remotely important. Casting a disgusted look down at my clothing, I didn't like the sound of the next few days if I had to stick with the same shirt, trousers and underwear.

As if on cue, my phone started vibrating within my pocket. I blinked in surprise before arching an eyebrow in curiosity, digging my right hand within my pocket to retrieve the electronic device. The name that was lit up on the screen was surprising.

Holding the phone against my ear, I answered quickly, "Yes, Tsuna?"

"Dino!" he exclaimed loudly. "Are you okay? Can you walk?"

"Can I _walk?_" I repeated, trying to hold back a laugh.

"H-Hibari-san could have done anything to you, I don't know," he stuttered.

"I can walk, Tsunayoshi," I assured him. "Kyouya's not as bad as you think." It was an old argument that I was bringing up; I'd tried to tell Tsuna that Kyouya was absolutely fine before, but I'd had to bite my tongue when Tsuna said that violence was always his first resort. It was true, though; I couldn't deny it and then claim he was a nice person. From what I'd seen, Kyouya just liked to hurt people for some sort of sick hobby. Tsuna just happened to have been his victim the past few times. I hadn't personally witnessed him coming home with bloody cuts across his skin, but Nana had said there had been severe bruises and cuts before. Tsuna had even gone into a hospital for a few days before, but he'd reassured me that it was only a small beating and then his own clumsiness that had made it happen.

"You don't know him well, Dino."

Unfortunately, Tsuna's words stung. I inwardly grimaced as I processed his sentence and deeming it true. I did know about Kyouya, but only pieces of information from other people, not actually from the person himself. I didn't know his favourite colour, food or anything remotely similar. Just his fighting preferences, what tended to get on his nerves and fortunately, his tendency to blush when his personal space was invaded. _Not good enough, _I told myself.

I chose to change the subject quickly. "I'll pick my stuff up tomorrow, hopefully," I'd muttered the last word under my breath.

"You're going to stay there again?" he asked.

"Yup," I drawled whilst trying to think of an excuse. "I'll have to pay for a few months even if I wasn't staying here apparently." _That sounds good enough. _I could easily imagine Kyouya demanding for rent despite the fact I wasn't even staying inside the same apartment. Backing away was probably what he would have called a move typical of a 'herbivore'. _I still eat meat._

"So you can't leave?"

"I can leave," I assured him. "But I don't want to."

"You want to stay with Hibari-san?"

My eyes widened in surprise at my slip up. I was trying to play it off as needing to make the most of my money, but at that moment Tsuna knew that I wanted to spend time with Kyouya instead of him. _I wasn't trying to pick between the two, _I mentally sighed. _It just happened. _

"Dino?"

With a soft voice, I answered honestly. "Yes."

At that moment, Tsunayoshi was probably wondering whether or not I had a death wish. The lack of response on his end of the line proved that too. I pulled my phone from my ear curiously after a few moments of silence, wondering whether or not the call was still connected or not. Apparently, it was. I placed the device back in its previous position whilst trying to think about how to change the topic.

"G-Gokudera-kun!" I heard Tsuna squawk through the speaker. I cringed whilst pulling the phone away from my ear, hating the fact my eardrums were throbbing by how loud his call of Gokudera's name was. I hadn't met Gokudera before, but Tsuna had told me about him.

Someone else's voiced joined in and from the pitch, I assumed it was Gokudera.

From the volume of their voices at that moment, I assumed the phone had been dropped on the floor after Tsuna's squawk. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I was assured that nothing bad was happening from the lack of screams coming from Tsuna's end. They were probably just talking, after all, they were friends.

"That was a good way to change the subject," I told myself. I ended the call quickly, stashing the phone back within my pocket before contemplating what there was to do. Tsuna now knew that I wasn't going to come back home that night—probably only going to be appearing for visits if I could—and that I needed to collect my things at some point. I was actually grateful for his friend bursting into his room. My slip up had probably been long forgotten, no questions asked unless I repeated the same mistake and let everyone know. The times when I could see Tsuna in the future were surely going to be limited; he needed to attend school and then have tutoring sessions whereas I had to amuse myself through the day until Kyouya appeared. _I need a hobby or someone else here, _I mentally sighed. Enzo wasn't exactly good company, noisy breaths got boring after a few sentences. Hibird would repeat Kyouya's name over and over so I was happy the bird flew off somewhere most of the time. _We're not going to be best friends._

The thought of becoming stir crazy was terrifying, but it could probably come true if Kyouya wasn't going to let me leave the apartment. I didn't want to add anymore bruises to my collection already; the new ones from today were only just losing their annoying throbbing. _I'm going to be black and blue soon. _Nodding to myself, I agreed with my thoughts of trying not to annoy Kyouya too badly. I wanted to see what his reaction towards me would be if I acted normally, as well. If I simply kept bugging him and wanting to be in his presence, our strangled relationship was going to be even worse.

My eyes eventually trailed towards his bedroom door when I found myself with nothing to do. I gnawed on my lip whilst contemplating what to do; I still couldn't make out any noises coming from within, but I knew he was inside. If he'd came outside, I would've seen the door open in my peripheral vision or even the noise of his hinges creaking and then the door slamming loudly. Only a few times had Kyouya actually made the door shut softly; it wasn't in his nature to be subtle. My feet were padding against the floor before I knew what had happened. I gulped and attempted to get rid of the lump that was forming in my throat as I raised my left hand up to the door, my knuckles grazing against the wood as I knocked loudly against it.

When I received no answer from my knuckles hitting against the door three times, I resorted to calling out. "Kyouya?" I called loudly.

As I opened my mouth to call his name again, I stopped myself quickly. _He could be asleep, _I told myself. Frowning, I turned away before sitting myself down on the sofa, one of my legs on top of the other as I debated what to do. My arms were quickly crossed over my chest as I stared down at the coffee table in front of me. The damned thing had tripped me over more than five times and that day, I was determined to stay away from it. _It's not going to get me, _I taunted it inside of my mind.

I didn't have any of my possessions with me, not even Enzo. Just my phone, a wallet and the clothes on my body. My worst pair of shoes, too. I sent a disgusted look down at them quickly, wishing I hadn't snapped the laces on my good pair the day before. My clumsiness seemed to have been toned down when I was with Kyouya, yet still there as I tripped over the worst things. He'd only seen a few of my falls—which was good—and now that I searched through my mind, I realized I hadn't heard him laugh.

Not once.

Wincing to myself, I thought about the times I'd seen him slightly amused. There were barely any; the most positive reaction I'd gotten from him were the raised eyebrows or the mock curiosity he showed when it wasn't appropriate. _That's not good, _I told myself. If Kyouya didn't find any enjoyment from being around me, I needed to fix that. Quickly, I came across a wall blocking my plan. I didn't know what his preferences were or what amused him. Probably the most I'd seen him enjoy himself—and admit it—would've been when we were fighting that one time. Not the best choice I'd made at all. During that time, I was stumbling over my own feet and blocks of air at the worst possible time. It was almost a miracle that I'd somehow ended up winning. Just seeing the cold leather or my whip wrapping around his thin waist, pulling his shirt in and creating wrinkles exposing some of his midriff, was enough to have made me feel slightly aroused.

Jerking myself off of the sofa, I stood up quickly and held my arms out in front of me. "No," I reprimanded myself out loud. I was _still _trying to keep my thoughts off of that line of thought. It wouldn't have been good if I ended up with an erection. The possibility of Kyouya hearing me again came to mind. I inwardly grimaced as I settled myself on the end of the sofa, this time placing my elbows on top of my knees and clasping my hands together. Looking down at my intertwined hands, I blinked in determination, trying to keep my mind off of anything inappropriate.

_Think about something nice, _I commanded within my mind. _Think about rainbows._

When the image of a rainbow invaded my thoughts, a small laugh left my throat. I covered my mouth to muffle the sound, trying not to laugh too loudly since I could have woken Kyouya up. I didn't want to see him more irritated than usual until I knew how to fix his mood. At that moment, if he'd came storming out of his room with his fists clenched, I probably would've only made the situation worse. I needed to observe him some more, keep note of his reactions and then work from there. If I was only going to receive punches aimed at my face instead of verbal answers, my life wasn't going to go well. I wanted to be the closest person—not animal—to him, not someone who was only a nuisance.

"How can I make him like me?" I sighed.

No answers came into my mind and just when I was getting close to pulling my hair out of my scalp, an imaginary light bulb lit up above my head. I raised my head up in surprise, blinking a few times before pressing my fist into my palm in an action of celebration.

"It could work," I mused.

If Kyouya was already unconsciously leaning into me without realizing it, I could attempt to make him get used to me coming within his personal space without getting a bruise. The perfect situation would be where I could embrace him straight away. Considering the fact my feelings weren't out in the open—due to the fact I'd announced them in Italian and had been interrupted since I'd tried to say them again—I doubted Kyouya thought I held any affection for him. There was the possibility that he thought I'd only used him as some sort of a toy to pass time. I grimaced to myself as I thought over the possibility that Kyouya did indeed think that. That would've explained his reaction of choosing to ignore what had happened, moving on to harshly kick my nearest body part the next time he'd caught sight of me.

_He's definitely got the wrong idea, _I mentally sighed. Running a hand through my hair quickly, I leant back against the cushions of the sofa, pondering how I could get him to change his mind. Coming out and saying it straight away was one of the options, but since I'd been interrupted already—even when I was just moving to kiss him—my confidence had definitely been knocked. I could have attempted to have gotten close to him when we were walking back to the apartment as well, but the timing was wrong. I was devastated over my discovery of his age at that point, too; if I'd tried to hold his hand or something remotely similar whilst wondering if I was a pedophile, I would've felt sick to my stomach. I was assured that it was okay now, though. It was only considered wrong due to our genders if I touched him intimately.

"Flirting would be dangerous," I mused. If I was too subtle, I doubted Kyouya would pick up on it—he'd proved to have been innocent in more than one way already—and if I was too obvious, a tonfa would have probably met my skin at the soonest possible time. Making Kyouya consume alcohol was kicked out of my mind before a few seconds. It was a ridiculous thought; if he had a high tolerance or not, nothing good would come out of it. Alcohol would make his memory have holes, not make him admit anything nor would it make my confession any easier. The idea could come back at a later point in time if I was in a mischievous mood, though. A small smile played on the corner of my lips as I thought about what type of drunk Kyouya would have been. If he was violent, I was going to be scarred for life. "How should I tame him?"

_What had I been doing before? _I hadn't put much thought into my previous actions, but somewhere along the line, I'd done something right. Kyouya had accepted my kisses at first, but when I'd gone further and touched him in apparently _inappropriate _places, that had been where he'd rejected me. _Can I go that far again? _I asked myself whilst gnawing on my lower lip.

Considering his violent reaction earlier, I needed to wait awhile to test my luck.

**AN: **I've never been bothered about reviews—never asked for them—but wow.


	19. Fragrance

**Dedicated to MonO.13**

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter nineteen—Fragrance

**DPOV**

"Really, Tsuna, I'll be fine." I grinned, hoisting my bag up to carry it correctly. He'd been surprised originally when I'd turned up without bruises covering my face. Luck was apparently on my side there, but I knew it wouldn't last for too long as questions would've been coming at me at any possible time. "Stop worrying."

"...Fine." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just don't think it's a good idea." Of course it wasn't a good idea, but barely ever did I stick to them. Testing my luck was an experience, after all, so I was perfectly fine with doing so. I shook my head at him, laughing softly before waving, saying that I'd go see him later. That was, if I found time to. I already knew what I had wanted to do for the rest of my week—since that was how far I'd planned ahead, pretty far, in my own opinion—and unfortunately, that didn't involve Tsuna in any of them. "Good luck!"

"I'll need it," was my response, but softly to myself.

Kyouya had disappeared before I'd gotten the chance to speak to him that morning. I couldn't blame him, though, especially after how awkward it had been between the two of us the night before. I'd concluded that he needed time to cool down, maybe so he wouldn't lash at me, before misunderstanding my intentions. It was a good thing, too, since I needed to get my intentions clear, at least to him, since he didn't seem to understand them.

"Rather, he doesn't understand Italian," I murmured, shaking my head in exasperation at myself. I needed to stop beating around the bush when I was with him, for sure. Kyouya probably hadn't bothered to look up what I had said, nor taken my accounts into account. Maybe, it was wrong of me to think that he would've in the first place. I was being far too optimistic, when I needed to be frank. "The next time I see him," I decided, "I'll say it."

And with that comment, I hoped that his appearances would've been more frequent. I knew that Kyouya would not have appreciated me turning up at his school—due to my hair and lack of uniform most likely—so, I waited at the apartment sometimes. After I'd returned from retrieving my possessions and placing back in my room, I frowned to myself before taking a peek within his room. Of course, it was pristine, and without any sign of him there at all.

"...He left his phone," I observed, arching an eyebrow. I wasn't the type to lurk to see what was in there, nor did I have the right to do so. If I wanted to stay on Kyouya's good side, too, it might have been a good idea to use it as an excuse. Snatching the phone up, I placed it within my pocket without looking at the contents, choosing to remain oblivious. It was already common knowledge that he didn't consider anyone a friend, nor did he have any romantic interest in anyone.

_After all, I think I was the first to touch him. _Gulping, I shook my head, leaving the apartment swiftly. My resolve was already clear—I was going to chance my approach, choosing to stay more _innocent _than before, to make my change seem more sincere than before. If that still didn't work with Kyouya, I really needed to do some research. Keeping my thoughts off of certain things was definitely what I needed to do.

As soon as I'd stepped onto the school site, I supposed that it was a bad idea. Already, I had been attracting too much attention, even though I'd worn my coat to tried to be at least a tiny bit more inconspicuous. "Pointless, really," I murmured, walking with quick strides.

I knew where I was going from before, also, I knew where Kyouya was most likely located if he wasn't attending classes. If he was attending them, however, I had to assume that something was wrong. Surprise almost made me jump when his phone vibrated in my pocket, but I quickly ignored it, although my curiosity had become piqued. _Who's calling him? w_ere my thoughts as the vibrations carried on, thankfully no sound booming as I neared the end of the hallway.

It was too loud, though, so I could play it off as nothing was happening. Knocking softly on the door—instead of simply walking inside, as I had done the first time—I waited for an answer, shifting my weight onto my other foot. As my breath hit my upper lip, I found out that I was nervous, really. It was a ridiculous thought, but Kyouya was bound to be angry with my sudden appearance. Placing one of my hands in my pocket, I gripped his phone, the other pushing the door open slowly, peering inside.

"Kyouya?" I called.

Surprisingly, we made eye contact straight away, except he was glaring at me from behind his desk. Simply grinning at him, I strode into the room, trying to disregard that it was clear I wasn't wanted in there at all. I was going to try and prolong our conversation that time, hopefully not getting close enough to aggravate him.

_Plan A, go! _I held back a laugh at my thought, only the corner of my lips twitching as I approached him.

"You don't have permission to be here," was all he said, lowly, in a tone that clearly meant he didn't want to speak to me. Reading between the lines was always helpful while talking to him, just so the rejection didn't sting as much as it could. _I don't mind playing the role of an idiot. _

"I'm not here for the school, so it should be fine, right?" I reasoned, immediately telling him of my intentions. It wasn't as though I had randomly appeared to participate within a class. More than anything, that would've been rather creepy. "I've actually got something of yours."

"I'm busy." Kyouya flipped the papers that were on the desk, the bored expression on his face showing that he wasn't entirely enjoying it. I had hope, though, that a distraction was welcomed by him.

"I'll only bother you for a few minutes." I smiled, taking a cautious step forward. His eyes snapped back up, that time narrowed more than before as he glowered. "Really, would I come here if it was pointless?"

"Yes," he said, blandly, "you would." For once, I had to agree with him there. Gnawing on my lip for a moment, I concluded that I had before, but that was only for the first time. I hadn't done anything entirely wrong; I was simply curious, and he'd only made my curiosity worse after that. _I can't blame it all on Kyouya, _were my thoughts as I mentally sighed, shaking my head quickly. "Shoo." He dismissed me with a unceremonious flick of his hand, eyes locked onto the pieces of paper again.

"No, really." A chuckle made its way out of my throat from how blunt he was being. "I thought you'd like it if I came to deliver it."

Kyouya's response was curt. "I'd rather you didn't interrupt me."

"You weren't speaking," I pointed out, one of my hands resting upon the desk as I cast a meaningful glance at the papers, "and I'm sure you're just having a staring contest with these pieces of paper. You don't even have a pen here."

He scowled before leaning back within his chair, reaching inside his jacket to retrieve something. Between his forefinger and thumb, Kyouya held up a pen, looking up to smirk at me. "Pen," he confirmed, his gaze shifting over to look at the door behind me.

"I'm not leaving that quickly." With a shake of my head, I smiled, somewhat fond of him tying to dismiss me. It was a reminder of what I was trying to do, after all; I just needed to keep my distance, just enough for Kyouya to become comfortable. Taking a significant step backwards, albeit small, I beamed at him. "I'm not intruding your personal space now, am I?" The question was directed more at myself, therefore being rhetorical, but Kyouya's frown was clearly an answer.

"You are," he replied, the answer combined with the tug of his lips downwards. "Go wait outside."

"I'm not going to wait until you want to see me, Kyouya." I laughed to myself, not wanting to hold my breath until he said it. He hadn't uttered the words before, so there was no doubt that he was going to at that moment. Even when I was spending time with Tsuna, Kyouya hadn't said a thing. A mere kick to my legs or anything else that was violent was a good enough answer. "You'd hurt me rather than saying that."

"I have no use for idle talk with you," he grunted, the chair scooting back as he moved to get up. I blinked in surprise, not expecting Kyouya to act as indifferently as he had. He was being a lot more calm than usual, in fact surprising me by doing so. I wasn't get much of a reaction at all—maybe, my plan was failing. As Kyouya walked out from behind the desk, purposefully going onto the other side so he didn't have to brush past me, I frowned for a moment, furrowing my eyebrows. I didn't want to make too much of a sudden movement, but I at least wanted a reaction, since it seemed that he was simply ignoring me being there. "I only want to see your face when it's necessary."

"It's necessary now," I proclaimed, pivoting on my heel as Kyouya walked towards the door. He wasn't even looking over his shoulder to glare at me for once, his intent of leaving clear. Slowly trailing after him, still keeping a sufficient distance, a question slipped through my lips. "There's no reason to reject me now, is there?"

_Crap, _I mentally cursed. I'd meant to think that, rather than say it aloud.

"There is." He shook his head, agitation leaking into his tone. I grimaced for a moment to myself, noting that I could at least stir one reaction. Although it wasn't the one that I had wanted, it was a lot better than him merely brushing me off. I took a step closer, about to turn Kyouya around, forcefully, with my hand before I clenched it, dropping back down to my side with an inaudible sigh. _No physical contact, _I had to remind myself, _plan A is still in action. _"Either you leave willing, Cavallone, or I'll make you."

Pouting childishly on purpose, I retorted, "But I have your—"

"Do _not_ disturb me through school hours," he stressed, momentarily looking over his shoulder to glare. I held my hands up in a mock surrender, shrugging lightly, as if to say I didn't know what he wanted me to do.

"Kyouya." I sighed, running my fingers through my fringe. _It's Saturday._ He was making it far too difficult to have a proper conversation with him. Of course, my motive for coming to see him that day was slightly warped, but a conversation—even if it lasted tow minutes, with at least non-dismissive replies—would've been better than this. Then again, it wouldn't have been Kyouya if he did take. An affectionate smile tugged on the corner of my lips, yet I repressed it, choosing to stride past him instead.

It was harder than I thought to keep my hands to myself, especially when I saw how disgruntled he looked at that moment. If Kyouya had fur like a cat, it would've been bristled, standing on end as he stared at me. Grinning back, I shoved my hands into my pockets, knocking against his phone accidentally, noting that it wasn't vibrating any more, before I decided to see if I could get another reaction.

"Can I disturb you when you're at home?"

The door was promptly shut on my face, a laugh making its way out of my throat from the sight of a flustered Kyouya, albeit only for a moment. He'd looked outraged at the comment, but I quickly kicked it out of my mind with a shake of my head, looking back at the door fondly before walking away.

Kyouya was still acting normal—I had just assumed he'd changed his attitude, that was all. It was a fault on my end, not his. Shaking my head for the umpteenth time, I frowned as soon as I'd stepped foot outside. Again, Kyouya's phone was vibrating, someone clearly trying to get in contact with them. But, from my knowledge, or, rather, lack of, all of his important contacts were within the school. Arching an eyebrow I looked behind me, trying to see if I could see into the reception room from where I was standing, but I definitely couldn't.

The vibrating stopped as I walked back to the apartment, my curiosity disappearing after awhile, too. It still wasn't any of my business—I was just planning to place the device back within his room, leave and then find something to amuse me, at least until Kyouya was back and actually willing to talk to me, for once. I grinned to myself at the thought, fully intended to get some answers from him, finally. Just because my first tactic involved staying away physically, it didn't mean I had to stop verbally. There was still a lot that I needed to know about him; especially age, that was one of the main points.

"At least I know he's not fourteen." I shuddered at the thought, not approving at all. That would've been akin to dating Tsuna, since they would've been the same age. I'd been told Kyouya was a few years above him, though, but that still didn't pinpoint his age. Even though he was still in middle school, he maybe could have moved up to high school. He was mature, too, another factor that I couldn't overlook. "If he didn't wear that uniform all of the time, I wouldn't know what age he would be."

I doubted that he would've changed uniform along with his schools, though. He had a habit of wanting to stand out, be it with his actions—being dismissive and hard to approach—or with his appearance. Certainly, the hair style that I'd seen him wear hadn't been on anyone else.

Trudging into the apartment quickly, I scowled before laughing at myself when I tripped over my shoes after I'd taken them off. I was still as clumsy as before I'd arrived, really all that had changed was my attitude to some things. _Most regarding Kyouya, again. But then again, I have even blown off my family for him without him knowing a thing about it. _

As soon as I'd pushed the door open to Kyouya's room, his _damn _phone started to vibrate again. I could admit I was definitely curious at that point—of course I would've been, someone unknown had kept trying to get into contact with him, someone that was related to the school, at all. Gnawing on my lower lip, I pulled the phone up, staring at the illuminated screen while debating whether to answer or not. The initial wasn't an indication on who it was, nor what they wanted. Kyouya didn't know I had his phone, and if I deleted the history quickly, he would've never known.

"I have no right to look." I groaned, running my fingers through my hair again. I was almost torn, but really, it made sense that I was worried, too.

It stopped soon after, and as I sighed in relief and moved to place it back where I had found it in the beginning, I blinked in shock when it vibrated again. At a softer setting that time, the screen lit up to reveal that there was one message received.

"Screw it," I murmured, opening the message quickly.

_Are you coming to see me tonight, Kyouya? —M. _

My first reaction was to read the message again, before noting that someone else called him by his first name, let alone wanted to meet with Kyouya again.

"I have no reason to worry." I shrugged, leaving the message open—so, maybe, it looked like Kyouya had left it in the morning without bothering to look back—before turning around, telling myself there was no reason to be jealous. Of course there were others that referred to him as I did so, since I was certainly not the first. If I was, I would've been shocked more than anything else. Gnawing on my lower lip, I left his room quickly, hoping I hadn't left anything out of place, before finding something to occupy my time.

I did keep myself amused by going outside, in fact. When it was definitely past six, I trailed back to the apartment, having not wanted to be there straight away when Kyouya had came back. Not bothering to knock—there was no reason to, I was living there temporarily, I had to remind myself—I walked inside quickly, straining my ears to see if I could hear any noise from inside.

Though, as soon as I'd kicked off my shoes and walked through the living room, I was starting to doubt it.

"Kyouya?" It was always me calling him out, enough times that I should have been used to it. "Are you here?"

"You're too loud."

Almost jumping in shock, I turned around, surprised to see him standing by the front door, having only just walked into the apartment. His shoes were still on, but the scowl across his face was, as always, disappointing.

"If you were behind me, you could have just said so." I grinned, keeping my hands to myself. I settled for waving awkwardly with one for a moment before carrying on to speak. "Where have you been?"

"That doesn't concern you," Kyouya murmured, slipping his shoes off before brushing past me. As he walked, my nose caught a scent that was easy to place, instinct kicking in before I could restrain myself. I reached out to tug him by his elbow, Kyouya turning to keep at me with surprise within his irides, albeit only a flash, as I invaded his personal space. "Stop touching me," he demanded.

Skimming over his demand, I asked, "Are you okay?" There had been worry leaked into my tone, which was a plus, but the offensive look that I received as an answer wasn't good enough. I was closer to him—breaking my own plan, damn it—the aroma was stronger than before. My eyes scanned over him for any traces of blood, yet I quickly found out that there were no droplets that had dried onto his skin, nor stained on his uniform.

Sighing to myself, I let Kyouya snatch his arm back, disgruntled from by intrusion, and carry on to walk towards his room. It was a stupid move on my part; Kyouya _had _came back with the aroma of blood before, although my reaction that time had been a lot stronger. _He's probably confused right now, _I observed, trailing after him with my intent clear.

"Wait, Kyouya," I called. Swiftly opening the door to his room, I ducked quickly when I saw something obscuring my vision, steadily moving faster towards me. With a low thud, the pillow hit the wall behind me, my expression one of surprise. "That almost hit me."

"That was _supposed_ to hit you." He sounded irked that it hadn't, though I quickly brushed off that detail with a smile. Kyouya was situated on his bed that time, lying on his back with the same expression as earlier. "What is it now?"

"Do I need a reason for talking to you?" I arched an eyebrow, even though he couldn't see. Kyouya closed his eyes as soon as I'd uttered that, grunting quietly in response as a smile tugged on the corner of my lips. He was letting his guard down around me, maybe, but I had already ruined my resolve from smelling the blood. The copper scent was still there, even if I couldn't make out where the droplets were. There was a chance they were soaked into the fabric of his trousers or jacket, so it couldn't have been seen upon the black.

"It would be better that way," he grumbled, shifting for a moment. "I'm tired, quit disturbing my peace."

"...It's not even night yet." Technically, the sunset had only just come. "Plus, you didn't object to me asking if I could disturb you here. It wouldn't be admirable to change your mind now." Taking a cautious step forward, I kept my eyes on his face as I tried to make my footsteps as soft as possible. Kyouya was definitely becoming more comfortable with my presence, especially at that moment as he almost looked asleep. Apart from the tell tale signs of him shifting and smirking every now and then, I would've believed he really was.

"Herbivore," Kyouya murmured disapprovingly, yawning into his hand lightly. He was definitely tired, but I still wanted to at least have one conversation. _Hands to myself, _was my only thought as I stood just beside his bed, debating whether to perch myself onto the end of the mattress. It would've been entering his personal space for sure, yet he hadn't stiffened at all from my footsteps.

"Am I still classed as one of them?" I asked, my voice softer than before. Talking loudly might have ruined the relaxed mood, or made Kyouya reach for a weapon, which I, definitely, didn't want to happen. "Has your opinion of me changed, at least by a tiny bit?"

"Of course it has," he snapped, opening his eyes to glare at me briefly. I gulped as I saw Kyouya frown deeply, expecting the worst to happen, but after that all he did was close his eyes again. _I think this is a safe distance, far enough not to irritate him. _Although Kyouya wasn't within reaching distance, I was somewhat fine with it. I averted my eyes when I saw that his midriff had been exposed from lying down, choosing to stare at the wall instead. _No, no, no. _

I needed to keep my thoughts straight. A normal conversation, that was all I wanted. No touching, no going over the limits I'd set myself, nor making Kyouya want to slaughter me even more than usual.

Shaking my head to get my thoughts in order, I ran my hand through my bangs quickly—it was fast becoming a habit, apparently—as I peeked back at Kyouya, noticing that his breathing had become quieter than before. Softer and slower, too. Furrowing my eyebrows, I stood up, the temptation of a vulnerable Kyouya being far too much.

It was a plus, was it not? He was comfortable to sleep while I was in the room, even to leave his body exposed like that, or, rather, it could have been that Kyouya had started to underestimate me. I gnawed on my lip as I pressed my forehead against the wall outside, debating which one it was. Did he think I wasn't interested any more after that? Clearly, my actions had suggested that I was, but from not making a move, was he thinking otherwise?

"Damn it," I cursed softly. "I was supposed to tell him." I'd completely forgotten, but now that he'd wanted to be alone, I supposed it could wait.

Kyouya could have come back to pick up his phone while I was out, looking at the message before going off to meet whoever it was supposed to be. But, that clearly didn't explain why exactly he had the aroma of blood over him. It couldn't of been his, too, since there were no stains on his clothing, nor was he wincing while shifting upon his bed.

"Just stop thinking about it," I murmured, pressing my palm into my forehead with a soft thud, reprimanding myself. The situation wasn't how I would've solved a problem with my usual profession. I had no reason to get involved, nor to be worried. _It's Kyouya, _I assured myself, _he'd get offended if he knew I was worried. _Though, the small scene I had created before could have already given me away. Considering he seemed to be dense, I doubted it.

"It's part of his charm," slipped through my lips as I smiled.

One thing that wasn't part of his charm was disappearing without a warning. I'd gone to spend the day with Nana the next day, and when I'd arrived back late, there was no sign of him at all. I'd assumed that Kyouya had already left in the morning since his shoes were not there, and they still weren't when I'd gotten back. I disregarded it at first, gnawing on my lip instead before going on with my night as I usual would have. I thought of being lame enough to leave food out for him, but when the smoke came up from the frying pan, my plan went otherwise.

In the morning, he still wasn't there, nor had anything shifted from when I'd last been awake. Although I shouldn't have waited for as long as I did, since I already had small plans for my Sunday morning, I frowned when it was just past noon, and there was still no sign of him. That time, I left a note in case he came back, grimacing when I remembered the last time I had used the pad.

Again, Kyouya was not there at night. There were no lingering scent of blood after that, from me having opened the window to air it out slightly.

"It's not as though he's been kidnapped." I tried to laugh at my comment, frowning afterwards. Really, I could have solved the issue easily if any of my men were there, yet it was just me alone from my insistence. Kyouya was probably returning while I hadn't been there. After all, I had been busier than I had been the past week and a bit. I hot my forehead with my palm again, willing myself to think sensible thoughts. "Probably busy with his committee," I concluded.

I quickly concluded that it couldn't have heard to wait awhile before sleeping, just to see if he was quiet while coming in. Kyouya still wasn't taking his phone with him—the peeks into his bedroom had proved that easily, especially when I'd seen it was still where I had placed it before. Maybe, then, it wasn't the person who had continuously messaged him that he was meeting. There was _still _no reason for me to worry. Kyouya didn't come back with any love bites over him before, nor did he look flustered in the slightest.

"I'm just paranoid." I laughed openly at myself as I was situated on the sofa, my face being pressed into my palm from exasperation. Certainly, Kyouya didn't realise that I had tried to stake a claim on him, but if anyone had came that come, they would've seen the remnants of what had happened between us on his body. Some of the marks were dark enough to have stayed longer than usual, efficiency making me gnaw on my lip when I'd caught sight of them before. _Maybe, I should move onto plan B when he's back. _

Leaning back into the cushions, I had to ask myself aloud, "What was plan B again?"

As I was about to laugh at myself quietly again, I was able to make out the sound of the lock that was upon the door. I blinked in surprise, keeping still just in case I had heard wrong, or Kyouya was seeing if he was alone at first, straining my ears to hear footsteps.

Without a doubt, I could hear them, although they weren't soft as I'd expected them to be. I raised an eyebrow as they grew louder, and Kyouya appearing from around the corner with a smug expression plastered across his face.

Rather than being happy to see him, my eyes widened as I blanched slightly. If I had thought the scent had been strong last time, it had increased tenfold that time. I could actually _see _the droplets of scarlet that were scattered across his uniform, the rare patches of white that were left untainted being fleeting. There were only splatters on his face that time, the liquid having dried and become uncomfortable to still be on the skin. His hair was still the same as before, though some strands were being weighed down, most likely damp with some of the liquid. It hadn't been raining outside, I knew that for sure.

"...Kyouya," I choked out, the predatory smirk that was across his lips only becoming wider as we made eye contact. "How much of that is yours?"

"None of it." His voice was smug, though it didn't decrease my worry. Pushing myself up, I took quick strides to be close to him, not taking into account that Kyouya hadn't flinched nor attempted to walk away from me.

Not catching sight of him for two days, and then having Kyouya turn up drenched in someone else's blood wasn't an appealing sight nor thought. I didn't know what to say to him—was I supposed to _congratulate _him that it wasn't any of his own blood? Surely, if it was any of my men, I would've done so, but Kyouya wasn't in any way related to that. He was still a teenager, after all.

"Why?" was all I asked, scanning him over to check if there were any wounds inflicted. No tears or rips were in his clothing, but that didn't quench my worrying. "Where the hell have you been?"

"You're not my keeper, Cavallone." He smirked, tilting his head back a fraction, just enough so we could clearly make eye contact. "Should it be any of your concern, really?"

"Considering you've come back looking like this, I think so, yes," I stressed, coming back to my senses again. He hadn't been that bad when we had fought before, nor had his expression been the same as it had then. "Have you been fighting the whole time?"

"Don't underestimate me." Kyouya raised an eyebrow mockingly, as if daring me to retort. "The fight only lasted a few minutes, it was one-sided."

"So you decided to just disappear?" Furrowing my eyebrows, my comment slipped through before I could stop it. "I was worried, Kyouya."

For once, Kyouya didn't bother taking my last comment into account. He merely smirked at me more before taking a step forward—surprising me for a moment, since he'd willing become closer to me—grasping onto the front of my shirt. "Fight me."

Surprise flickered across my expression before I frowned, my fingers grasping his hand as I gently tried to pry them off. "No," I denied with a small shake of my head. "You'd probably collapse on me." I had to assume that there was still adrenaline present and paired with that thought and the scent of the blood, the fight had barely been minutes before he'd came back.

"Are you doubting me?" he hissed, tightening his hold on my shirt. I could almost feel his nails through the material, but I quickly cast that thought aside as I grimaced. _How can I deny him without damaging his pride? _Kyouya should have known fighting would've been useless, especially when he was in the state that he was. I could see that there were purple lines underneath his eyes, the skin looking irritated from lack of sleep. "I don't appreciate that, Cavallone."

"Kyouya," I said lowly in a warning tone. It felt as though I was reprimanding a child—though this one was stubborn, too mature in some areas and covered in blood—although it was nothing like that at all. I had wanted to keep my hands to myself again, but with Kyouya being willingly close without being seemingly affected, I had to assume that it was okay. That he, maybe, wanted to be to do something other than provide a challenge for him.

_He's brought this upon himself, _I thought, taking in a breath before going against what I had intended to do. Snaking my hand around to press my fingers into the hair by the nape of his neck, I made sure to look what Kyouya's expression was, just in case there was one of rejection immediately. He didn't seem to be offended by how close I was at that moment, still staring intently with narrowed, tired eyes.

"I'm not," I murmured, leaning forward to press my lips against his. Kyouya hadn't stiffened like I'd originally thought he would, instead, he was neutral, staying purposely still as the smirk was slowly disappearing from his lips. Making it so my fingers were wound within the dark tresses that was his hair, my free had reached within his jacket—the grimace not showing as I slowly moved my lips against his—ignoring the damp patches on his shirt, to pull him by his waist, closer to me.

Kyouya still wasn't protesting. As my appendage slowly trailed across his lower lip, I had to resist the urge to grin as he opened his mouth, that time without hesitation. It was certainly a difference to all of the other times we had kissed, the most significant being the last. As I could feel his body pressed against mine, the heat slowly transferring between us, I moved my feet carefully, fully intending to switch our positions. Kyouya actually cooperated with me, surprising me before I was motivated to deepen the kiss, my appendage becoming entangled with his. Soon after, Kyouya was pressed against the wall instead, still gripping onto the material of my shirt. I wasn't averse to his movements at that moment, instead welcoming the moaning at the back of his throat. It added soft vibrations between us, my arousal becoming stirred from hearing the noises.

Although I knew that I needed to stop—since, clearly, it wasn't the time nor place to do such a thing—I found myself trying to stir more of a reaction from him. Purposely rubbing against a sensitive area, Kyouya jerked forward before his movements started to lag. We had both long since closed our eyes, yet when I peered through mine that were half-lidded, it felt as though my heart had skipped a beat when I saw how red in the face he was.

I pulled away, giving Kyouya a chance to gave his breath, before whispering his name against his lips. He didn't pull away that time either, him being the one to initiate the kiss. If he had been waiting for me to make the first move, I was surely being a fool before by keeping to myself. After all, being direct was the best way to make Kyouya understand. As the lack of oxygen was finally getting to me, I pulled away reluctantly, leaning back as well to observe Kyouya's expression. He still hadn't opened his eyes, but the blush was considering deeper, the grip on my shirt loosening as his breathing was becoming steady.

"Kyouya," I called softly, both of my hands on his waist. When I received no answer, I looked at him warily. "Kyouya." I'd tried again, quieter than before to see whether the random thought that had popped into my head was true or not.

Again, he didn't answer as his breaths were becoming steadier.

"...He's asleep."

**AN: **Happy late birthday, Mono. Although there isn't any smut in this, I hope a kiss is good enough for you? A _huge _thank you to Estelle and Pris for putting up with my rantings and mumblings about completing this as well.

I don't remember this story very well from my accident, plus, my memory was crap anyway so I had to read it all over again. Yes, this story was a joke, meant to annoy one of my friends, so I've gone through and tried to see... a more serious plot, I suppose. Correct me if I'm wrong on any of this.

Dino's involved with the mafia, but it's small scale enough that he's able to take a break, purely for family reasons. Tsuna isn't the tenth boss—although, he is addressed as "tenth" by his friends, most likely as an affectionate joke—and isn't aware of what Dino does. Tsuna is Dino's cousin, the Sawada family being the closest to him compared to the rest. So, he goes to spend time with them, before knocking into Kyouya. Being the dork that he is, he's infatuated with the thought of their meeting being "fate", purely due to dreaming of him the night before in a suggestive manner. There are no flames, but Kyouya still possesses a ruthless attitude, and is in charge of Namimori, still. Dino didn't want to impose on his family, so he took the first apartment that he had heard of, surprisingly himself when he recognised the last name. Being immediately attracted to Kyouya—while the other was simply confused—Dino constantly showed it the way he had to deal with it for years: through actions. Kyouya didn't understand them, making their relationship strained, even more so when he overreacted, even if he doesn't admit it.

Mukuro's there to spice things up, although his character was warped in the beginning. It could be that he has connections with Tsuna, or someone else, but he knows too much about Kyouya. He's not a stalker, since there are no cameras, and all he's done, really, is put his number into Kyouya's phone. I'm not entirely sure what's happening between him and Kyouya, but he seems to be able to get in his mind, or, maybe has a scent that Kyouya's allergic to? That could make it more realistic, at least, considering the reactions that he stirs.

Kyouya's only been attracted to strength, openly, so the proposition that Dino made was hard to resist. Dino forced his feelings upon him again, that time going too far, before backing up, to give Kyouya space to think, pondering whether it was a good idea or not. When Kyouya went to kick him to come back—because he didn't like the thought of being used, and then cast aside—Dino was given false hope, though, he kept getting interrupted when he was trying to push their conversation and actions further.

P.S. I know about as much as all the readers do about this story, so these are just my conclusions. Have I missed anything out, got details wrong or skimmed over anything important? I kind of need to know If I want to continue this, haha.


	20. Collision

**fuwacchi: **Haha, sorry. And your review is from over seven months ago, I feel really bad now. **18plusForMe: **Thanks! **alguien22792: **It's all good! Drunk Kyouya is wonderful, yes. **ezzelin: **Sorry. **Eyes17k: **Reward given! **Face Faith: **I still haven't read the KHR manga lol. That's why my characterisation is off, completely. I have no idea when this will end. **Doesitreallymatter: **Hey, Princess. **Prince: **Thanks. **Traum-Alptraum: **Haha, thanks. **Loketoki: **Aww, thanks. I didn't mean to, haha. **Devil Miharu: **L-love triangle? That wasn't my intention. **Stranger: **Sorry for the late update, then. **Emiko Estelle: **Yup, you do have to review whatever you read! **Emiko Estelle: **U-updated slowly? /cowers **: **I trust you. I do. **Emiko Estelle: **Aww! **fuwacchi: **Get out and read someone else's stories, please. **18plusForMe: **Haha, thanks! **Face Faith: **Haha, I don't really know what I'm doing lately. :x Oh well. Gotcha! Taken note of that. **MOnO.13: **Yes, a _belated _birthday present. You know I'm slow at getting round to doing things. **Nylkebi23: **Haha, sorry. This is an _AU _so in a different timeline, really. No flames, nothing like that at all. Sorry for the disappointment, but I don't like KHR, nor do I read/watch it anymore. I don't _want _to go back to remember it. **DragonKnight1775: **Thanks for the review! **Stranger: **Haha, thank you. I couldn't resist writing that.** asdfghjkl: **Haha, sure. **asdfghjkl: **Very smooth, very smooth. **black snow rose: **Sorry for the wait, then.**  
**

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter twenty—Collision

The scene I saw when I woke up was similar to one from only a few days before. It seemed better that time, though, from the fact that were were both fully dressed, and that the only reason that I had the blonde's scent upon me was from the shirt that was resting on my shoulders. Cavallone had managed to keep his hands to himself while he was sleeping, too, only laying next to me, still too close for comfort. If he had had his arms around me at any point, I didn't know. My trousers from before were still on, making all the clothing that was upon my frame making my temperature far too hot. I shrugged off his shirt, throwing it onto the mattress where I had been before swiftly leaving, not from humiliation as I had the time before but determination.

I had something better to do than see his idiotic face when he woke up. Whether I'd get to actually do what I wanted, on the other hand, was a completely different story. I could have simply been head strong and gone out looking straight away, but I knew that it wasn't going to work. Venturing to the bathroom, I grimaced at the some droplets of dried blood that were still upon my skin. From the smears across my torso, I had to assume Cavallone had attempted to get some of if off before placing the shirt upon me. Why I had allowed him to be that close was probably due to lack of sleep—my reactions weren't at their best, obviously. I'd been busy trying to find someone, and it seemed that whenever I was actually looking for _him_, instead of the other way around, I simply found cronies instead.

There had been a time I had thought I'd caught sight of him, but it was a useless effort. Injuring my subordinates didn't seem to bring him enough joy, though, as he'd carried on to random victims from within the school. If it was to rile me up, it was working. By injuring others within my premise, it was as though he was challenging me to punish him, to show what was mine, in a sense.

Lately, there were ridiculous messages either delivered to my phone, or either posted through the letter box. At first I had found it odd, but I quickly clued together who exactly the sender was, and why they knew where I had lived. Delivering a load of bread I'd dropped was the perfect alibi for finding out where I lived exactly, also to find out who with, too. If it was with family, would he have given up? I certainly hoped so, but it didn't seem that way. When we had met in the park was probably when he had swiped my phone and then returned in after stealing my number from within. It didn't make sense at the time, and it almost _hurt _how long it took me to clue in on it.

The yellow 'friend' that had been referred to obviously wasn't Hibird. There was no one stupid enough to think they could spy on me through my own pet, and considering there was nothing significantly different to the yellow bird whenever he came back, it was a useless effort, to say the least. A leaf stuck within his feather wasn't suspicious at all.

There were a few scents that I had a reaction to, but if I came into contact with them I was even worse. Unless the freak had stalked my medical records, there was no way that he could have known that. Though, that would have explained my odd reactions whenever we met.

Shaking my head, I willed myself not to think about it for awhile. I showered quickly, padding into my room to grab the new clothes that, thankfully, weren't stained with his scent, nor Cavallone's. I didn't like smelling like anyone but myself—and to my nose, that just smelled just like lavender from the detergent. When I stepped out of my room, I still had a small hand towel around my shoulders, for the purpose of catching any droplets that fell from my hair still. Walking past the door, curiosity had gotten the better of me. Instead of my eyes widening in surprise when there was another white envelope through the door, I raised my eyebrows instead. Again, he had been here while I was unaware. If I alerted Cavallone that I wasn't comfortable in my own home because of that fact, I would've been perceived as weak. That was why I was keeping everything to myself at that moment, trying not to hint him onto anything.

If I didn't want to be weak, I had to solve everything by myself, and that seemed easier said than done. The letters were completely _confusing _each and every time, all signed by the same name. It was probably the same one that had been in the park before; ripping up the letter had only caused his plans to increase in speed, possible. By underestimating me, I had to return the favour tenfold.

Taking the letter in my hand, I walked into the kitchen to boil the kettle first. If I was going to read it properly and try to understand it, I had to at least have a bit of caffeine within my body. I hadn't considered that the noise might have woken Cavallone up, considering how early it seemed to be, so when he wandered into the living room five minutes later, I blinked in surprise.

Bringing the cup to my lips, I averted my eyes while using my free hand to crush the letter within my palm and then place it within my pocket. It was my problem, and I definitely didn't need help from him.

"Morning," Cavallone greeted me, yawning into his hand before running it through the tufts that were standing on end upon his head. "Are you okay now?"

To distract myself from over thinking, I chose to pretend to take offence. "Why are you implying I wasn't before?"

Cavallone rolled his eyes at my answer, apparently used to be stubborn attitude. If it was how it should be, then I was doing it right. He wouldn't be clued in about anything wrong if I continued on that way—that was also why I'd avoided his speech from before, demanding a fight even though I had been hardly capable to stop myself from closing my eyes. "Last night," he started before clearing his throat, choosing not to stare at me while he elaborated. Grabbing himself a mug from the cupboard, Cavallone poured himself a drink. "Are you injured at all from it?"

"No," I said quickly with a dismissive tone. I didn't want to explain myself further; if I wasn't limping or hissing in pain while walking, I was classed as fine. That was always how I had diagnosed myself in the past.

"Kyouya." Cavallone looked at me oddly for a moment before his expression completely changed, one that I still couldn't identify well. Maybe it was because he'd just woken up—the idiot wasn't making any sense at all, already. "What are you doing today?" he asked, changing the subject completely. I had to pause for a moment to think that day is was; I'd been too absorbed in my thoughts to give it much regard. When I realised that it was, in fact, Tuesday I wanted to call myself an idiot. I hadn't appeared at the school at all the day before, and surely from the amount of rubbish that was going on lately, there had been some idiot doing something out of line in my absence. "Kyouya?" Cavallone called me out of my thoughts again, pressing for an answer.

"I'm going to school," I lied, though I wasn't sure if he had seen through it or not.

"Couldn't you skip for a day?" He raised an eyebrow, bringing the mug to his lips for a moment to take a sip. I mirrored his pose by finishing the last of my coffee before placing my mug within the dishwasher. I knew that Cavallone was waiting for an answer, but I was trying to postpone replying for as long as possible. How did I usually react to him?

"I don't skip," I lied again, brushing the imaginary dirt from my clothes before walking past him. Cavallone caught me by surprise when he grabbed gently onto my elbow, stopping me from moving as he frowned at me. He'd placed his mug down onto the counter as he moved closer to me, sliding his hand down to grip loosely on my wrist. It irked me slightly how small my wrist seemed in comparison to his hand, and if the movement was supposed to be comforting, it was anything but.

"I could have ignored the first one." He smiled softly, lopsidedly, as he raised both his eyebrows that time. The expression seemed almost mocking, but it was just proving that he was smarter than I thought again. "But that last lie was far too obvious, Kyouya. I've seen it for myself when you've skipped. Did you think I would just forget about that?"

Too obvious, I thought begrudgingly. "If you knew what was best for you, yes," I said stubbornly, not sure whether to remove my wrist from his grasp. His hand wasn't tight around it, nor did it seem like a threat at all. Although my words were supposed to be threatening, they weren't at all.

"Is it a thrill for you to threaten people?" he asked, looking at me sceptically. "I'm not afraid of you, Kyouya, and you know that well." We both knew it but it still annoyed me nonetheless. Why was it_ him _who was the first not to take me seriously? Most of the time I couldn't tell whether he was sincere in his words or not, yet as his fingertips softly pressed against the skin of my wrist, I just frowned. "I was going to ask if you wanted to spend the day with me."

Idiotic question. "I refuse," I denied him quickly, averting my eyes as his reaction wasn't apparent. He wasn't shocked, though, from the lack of movement on his part. Had he become accustomed to my rejections already? If so, I was thankful for that, yet he still wasn't moving away from me just yet.

"I knew you'd say that at first." He chuckled quietly, his reaction one that I couldn't quite believe. As we made eye contact, my expression was definitely questioning his sanity. "Would it be so bad?"

"Yes," I admitted. Most likely, my reactions would have been still out of hand, and with Cavallone right beside me, it wouldn't have been good. I hadn't still had the chance to even read the letter: what if it was something important, and I'd instead spent my time with him being ridiculous? "I'm rejecting you, as always, Cavallone."

Although I was just voicing my actions, Cavallone just smiled softly at me, as if I wasn't getting something. As I was about to demand he wiped the smile off of his lips, he instead beat me to speaking. "You didn't reject me last night," he reminded me softly, his hand slowly running up my arm.

If I had, he would've continued to ask questions, and I was willing to give any answers. "That was nothing." I frowned, agreeing with my lie, seeing some truth within it. Compared to what else we had done, it really was nothing. "Don't look too far into it."

"If It was nothing, can you do it again?" Cavallone grinned, pleased with himself by trying to tempt me. It did seem like a challenge of sorts, and considering that it would've made him be quiet sooner, I chose that it was the easiest thing to do. The kiss from last night had barely in my mind; it could have been that I was trying to block it out, for whatever reason, yet Cavallone still seemed smug that it had happened at all.

Narrowing my eyes at him in warning, for him not to read further in it, I used my free hand to tug on the front of his shirt, pressing our lips together four only a moment—just enough to feel the warmth of his lips against mine—and then pulled away, smirking in slight triumph that I had found a small loop hole. Of course, the kiss from before had been longer, but he hadn't specified what exactly I had to do. It was only a small one, and that was enough. The kiss had been a small peck, like one a parent gave to their child when they were younger.

"That hardly qualifies," Cavallone proclaimed, though his face was a tinge redder than before, just across his cheeks. My frown only deepened from his proclamation; I didn't have time to waste just to satisfy his idiotic challenges, even if he knew how to make me comply, sometimes. If I felt at all like he had be wrapped around his little finger at that moment, I refused to acknowledge it. "I meant how I usually kiss you."

"How you kiss _me_?" I raised an eyebrow, trying not to imagine the scene that he had referred to. Of course I knew what kind he meant then, but I still couldn't deny how awkward it would have been if I did such a thing. "I have respect," I announced, indicating that it was an invasion of space and, clearly, I wouldn't want someone doing that to me often.

"Can't do it?" he asked, the hand that was just below my elbow falling down to caress my hand that time. His actions were teasing and combined with his words, it seemed as though he was regarding me as a child still.

"Rather than that, I don't want to." I stubbornly stuck my chin up higher, locking eyes with him as I noticed the broad smile across his lips. Scheming, as always, he was. Eventually his arm wound up slowly wrapping around my waist, restricting the space between us as he just smile softly at me. As if nothing was happening, nor was he trying to distract me.

"Try it," he advised, leaning against the counter as he pulled me slowly closer. I hadn't realised what he had been doing at first, but soon our chests were almost touching each other from our lack of distance. Already, I could feel the slight rush of the caffeine within my body, and that had probably been what made me want to go along with it.

Not a second later, I reached up again for our lips to press against each other, slightly surprised that Cavallone was expecting me to take the lead for once. I could clearly feel his smile against my lips as we were close, also the feel of his heart beat within his chest. We were that close, and as I swallowed quickly, I copied one of his earlier movements by biting down softly onto his lower lip. Cavallone chucked lowly at that, teasing me by not doing what I had wanted.

My reaction was to bite down harder, not as hard as I'd done in the past to cause him to bleed, but just enough to show him that I was serious about it. I wanted it to be done quickly and over, and if he was going to continue to tease me, it was only going to make my reactions worse. Cavallone smiled against my lips again, that time complying and allowing my appendage to go instead. Definitely, I was awkward as I did so, and when I realised he was purposely making his reactions lag, I growled in frustration. I'd closed my eyes from not wanting to awkwardly stare into his own, seeing the mischievous glint in them from realising all he had to do to get me to react was to question something. Though, I did wonder if he realised at all why I was always rejecting him. Without any regard for the previous times, Cavallone always kept trying, for some reason.

The arm around my waist tightening, trying to bring me in closer to him that before. I bit down onto his appendage in warning, trying to make him understand that I, finally, wanted to be in control for once. His hold loosened slightly, but it was still tight around me. As the kiss was slowly deepening, and I was sure I was about to moan from the feeling at any given moment, I let one of my hands grip onto his strands of hair, while the other gripped his shirt still, tighter so I could feel the strain of the material. When I could clearly feel a moan building up at the back of my throat, I withdrew quickly, breaking away for a gasp of air and realising in mortification that my face was considerably hotter than before. Before I got the chance to do anything at all, Cavallone had pressed our lips together, causing me to attempt to lean away from him in surprise. His other arm was soon wrapped around me as as well, and as I was responding to the kiss slowly, mocking almost, he swapped our positions over. The counter was pressing against my lower back, with his arms only just above it, and as his hands slowly trailed down—caressing my sides in the process—he smiled widely against my lips.

Entangling our tongues, a gasp of surprise left my throat when Cavallone was able to swiftly pick me up and set me down upon the counter, making it so he was the one that had to lean up that time. I responded far too enthusiastically to that, not at all concerned that he had moved forward to stand between my legs that were on either side. Gripping his hair tighter, I moaned softly into his mouth, flushed from the temperature of our bodies pressed together.

"Kyouya," he murmured lowly between in taking another breath and pressing our lips together again. I didn't react at first when I felt one of his hands moving down my side, yet as he slowly started to move my shirt upwards, and then trail his fingertips across the skin above my trousers, I had to wonder about his expectations of the situation.

With the hand that wasn't within his hair, I moved it away quickly, growling again in warning that he was pushing the situation too far. I had no intention to go any further than we were at that moment, ever, yet when he tried again, he intentionally attempted to distract me by rubbing against a sensitive part within my mouth. It worked for a moment, and when I realise his intention again, I jerked backwards, breaking the kiss and causing the bond of saliva to fall onto my chin. I swiped it away with my hand quickly, the only distance between us from me leaning back. He was too close.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing my reaction. His voice was probably huskier than he had intended as he blinked at the sound of it, clearing his throat afterwards. It didn't ease me to know that it wasn't his intention at all. Making sure we were making eye contact, I frowned while clasping the hand that had been pressed against my skin, pushing it away before pulling my shirt down to cover anything that had been exposed. Even if my breathing had increased from our actions, I wasn't going to make myself vulnerable in front of him.

"No," I said simply, frowning still as I waited for him to move away so I could jump down. He stayed rooted to the spot, furrowing his brows as he slowly inspected me. My face was still flushed, but I tried not to let it affect my attitude. "I'm rejecting you, remember?" I had said it aloud more to remind myself, not to fall into whatever he was trying to set up. It was far too early for me to be concerned with him, yet it was all I could think about while my personal space was invaded.

"Yeah." Cavallone smiled despite my words. "I should probably let you down now before you kick me, right?"

I nodded in return, letting my feet land on the floor swiftly as soon as he'd side stepped out of the way. For a moment, we just looked at each other with different expressions—Cavallone had a strange one plastered across his face again, while mine was just curiosity.

"Close your eyes," I murmured lowly, surprised not only from the words coming from my lips without me thinking about it, but mostly that Cavallone complied without question. I smirked to myself as I moved closer to him, deeming him a fool for trusting me too quickly. It was just a form of revenge; if I had fussed over the marks on my neck beforehand, he was bound to do the same, too, when it was done to him. Biting down purposely as hard as I could onto the flesh of his neck just below his jugular, I made sure it was enough to cause a red mark to appear, just before sucking upon the skin, feeling no sympathy for Cavallone as he hissed lowly at the feeling. I was surprised that he hadn't yelped in shock at all from the action—there was no way that he had been expecting for it to happen. "There," I announced, moving back quickly with the intention of walking away. I had gotten side tracked, that was all.

"Kyouya," he called. I looked quickly over my shoulder while I slowed my pace, slightly curious to see what his reaction would be. "I don't mind this if it's from you." He grinned.

My idea had backfired again. Instead of responding, I just left the apartment swiftly with my intention clear as I reached into my pocket to clutch the letter. If I was any closer to finding out where the hell he was, I needed to at least look harder. The last time I had only found more of his lackeys, and that had been where most of the blood had came from. Really, they weren't as strong as I was expecting, nor did they particularly put up much of a fight. It was as though they wanted to lose, in fact, and it was even more infuriating than not.

After walking around for thirty minutes, my phone vibrated from within my pocket. I didn't jump from the noise, but rather became more irritated from the disturbance within my concentration. Swiftly placing one of my tonfas back into my jacket, I reached for my phone to read the message.

_If you're done frolicking around, Kyouya, would you mind answering me whether or not you've read the letter yet? —M._

Implying that I was frolicking rather than concentrating irked me more than it should have. I clutched the phone far too tightly before stashing it away into the pocket again, ripping open the letter a moment later. It wasn't anything significantly important at all; similar to the other ones I'd received, in fact, but it was still implying that I wasn't capable of anything by myself. The person obviously didn't know me well enough. Though, I wasn't sure whether I wanted him to know me at all. I wasn't obvious enough with my refusal beforehand.

Just like the previous letters, I ripped it into pieces before allowing the wind to carry away the pieces. The evidence seemed more appropriate to call it. Soon after I started walking towards the shopping district, just in case there was a chance that I could catch site of him.

What I saw in the end, though, was more disturbing than not. It wasn't a normal scene to be able to witness a car accident, much less when the victim happened to be a young girl at that. I was too far away to do anything at all—if I had planned to at all was a completely different story—so when I heard the sickening crunch of the collision, along with a small scream before it was interrupted by the gasps of the other bystanders, I barely flinched. It was still a unique sight to see, and as the scarlet liquid started to seep and a cat had fallen victim as well, I did another spontaneous act. Instead of becoming involved directly, I called Kusakabe to go to the hospital to help with the treatment, that was all. I was going to stay anonymous by doing so, and it was probably just because I had witnessed it that I had felt slightly like I had to help. As the scene was quickly becoming crowded, I pivoted upon my heel and walked away again.

Walking away seemed to be all I was doing. Was it taking the easy way out, and did anyone think that was what I was doing? I wasn't sure, but I didn't want to be viewed that way at all.

For once, I actually replied to one of the messages I'd received. It was mocking, of course, and hopefully piqued enough anger to get the situation over and done with as quickly as possible.

_Are you too weak to show yourself? Don't worry, herbivore, it'll be over in a few minutes._

Rather than walking around looking for an answer, I ventured back home, slightly less irritated than I was less than an hour ago. I hadn't known how long I was outside for, but by ignoring my growing hunger, I wanted to condemn myself. I'd forgotten to bring out money with me, too, meaning that was another reason to walk up the stairs tot he apartment quicker. Whether or not Cavallone was still in wasn't one of my questions that was floating around in my mind. Rather, I was still contemplating his reactions from earlier. Odd, of course, but more than that he still seemed far too happy over a bite mark. When I had had more than one left on me, it had irritated me to no end from the fact that someone had been able to mark me at all, so considering he was _happy _about it was strange.

When I'd opened the door, I could hear no noises from inside, so I'd assumed he wasn't there at all. My assumptions was correct, indeed, by the time I'd looked through the rooms quickly. After I had taken enough money to buy a meal rather than cook it, I'd set out to leave just as quickly as I'd came. Though, when I opened the front door to leave, I almost collided with Cavallone's chest. Rather than allowing the embarrassment of such a thing, I sidestepped so he stumbled in surprise, his expression mirroring mine, before straightening up again.

"Bye," I murmured, walking past without paying much attention to him.

Cavallone laughed softly at my reaction before shutting the door, following following after me after he had done so. "Harsh already," he commented, whistling quietly for a moment before he stopped to grin as I looked over my shoulder. "Have you eaten yet?" I was slightly surprised that he wasn't commenting why I wasn't in school; it was probably just past one o'clock in the afternoon, and yet we were both there in the middle of the hallway.

"I'm going to get food now." There wasn't an invitation in my voice, but Cavallone seemed to take it as one. It wasn't as awkward as it was the first time we were walking next to each other, nor the last time either. Before I knew what had happened, I'd blurted out, "This better not be a repeat of last time."

To my surprise, Cavallone shook his head while laughing quietly to himself. He found something funny about it, apparently. As I took the chuckling as an insult and frowned he added, "I won't force a kiss on you this time, I promise." Whether or not that was the specific event I was referring to, I wasn't sure. "What did you have in mind?"

"I'm not buying you anything," I pointed out, raising an eyebrow when I saw that he was childishly pouting from the corner of my eye. "I'm going to the convenience store." From the event earlier, I didn't particularly want to eat too much.

"That wasn't my intention, Kyouya." Cavallone smiled. "I want to buy you something instead."

"If that's the case, I'm spending all your money."

**AN: **Forgot about this story again because I'm a bad author.


	21. Trickery

**Traum-Alptraum: **I am a bad author! I get distracted so easily. :D;; -hides under a rock from you being crazy- **Eyes17k: **Haha, you know how I make my Dino!

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter twenty-two—Trickery

For a few days after that, we fell into some sort of a routine. Cavallone wasn't persisting to annoy me as much as before, and as he somehow managed to allow me to be by myself even when he was within the apartment, too, I didn't voice any complaints. It was nice to have my own space without feeling awkward, especially when Kusakabe had took it upon himself to send a message every single day. It wasn't needed, but I still didn't reject it or even reply, in fact. The message usually contained a small piece of information about whoever the girl had been and then an update to see if there was any more violence in the area. Pleasantly surprised, I was almost shaking my head from obliviousness when I realised how quiet it was being. Not only was the culprit showing an odd personality, Cavallone was, too.

It was only Saturday when I started to question his behaviour. Of course, it was oddly quiet as it had been for a couple of days, and the fact that I had been able to walk out without any questions my way was just perplexing. Was I getting too attached to him questioning me for every little thing, just to make some conversation? Shaking my head at the thought, I stepped out of my bedroom with a curious gaze. He was settled down on the sofa within the living room, staring down at some papers that were placed on the table with a frown. His concentration was enough for him to entire my existence completely.

I could have probably thrown something at his head, and he would have only continued to have a pointless staring match with his piece of paper. Scoffing quietly to myself, I proceeded to make cereal for myself before walking back over to where he was seated, raising an eyebrow as Cavallone was still staring down. He hadn't bothered to pick p a pen, or anything remotely similar.

Moving my hand increasingly nearer—while it was clutching the cutlery—I prodded his neck with the cold metal. The reaction I received was better than I had anticipated. Cavallone flinched dramatically before reaching forward, flipping over the papers so I couldn't see any of the writing that was on there. I hadn't been able to see from a distance anyway, so there was no point in his actions.

Instead of making a fuss when he murmured my name, I chose to walk across the room while eating.

"You can't do that and start to ignore me." Cavallone laughed despite his word, somehow adopting an amused tone as he continued to move the papers around. Leaning against the kitchen counter again, I continued to eat instead of answering. Rather, he was the one that seemed to have been ignoring me if I was petty enough to stoop to that level. "_Kyouya_."

He was still sitting down. "Hn?" I grunted before eating again, only taking my eyes away from the bowl for a moment.

"You could have at least warned me that you were beside me," he complained in an tone that could have been considered whining. I shrugged my shoulders in return, expecting for him to have been looking at me. I assumed that I was correct when he sighed to himself before asking, "Do you know what the time is?"

"Before noon?" I guessed, though it came out as a question. Ignoring the small slip up, I carried on eating as Cavallone ran a hand through his hair.

"I've got a few hours, then," he murmured to himself as I looked up.

"What are the papers?" I asked, eyeing the flipped over pieces that were entirely white. He was being too secretive for them to have been nothing—though, I doubted they were as important as his reaction indicated. "You've been staring at them for awhile."

"Nothing important." He shrugged, checking in his peripheral vision to make sure they were flipped over being making eye contact with me again. Not believing his answer, I raised both of my eyes before humming softly, eating more of my food afterwards. "You're not going to school?"

I rolled my eyes. His question definitely proved his attention had been directed elsewhere. "What day is it, Cavallone?"

"Thursday," he proclaimed with a confident tone. I only shook my head, waiting for him to guess again before he cheated. Rather than going through all of the days, he checked his phone instead. "Saturday," he read aloud in a low tone. "It's Saturday."

"Well done," I commented sarcastically, finishing my food before placing the dish and spoon within the dishwasher. He had attempted to change the subject of the conversation, but I wasn't allowing it. "Are you signing up for a job or something?" I asked. It would not have been surprising for Cavallone to have been struggling with rent; he hadn't disappeared for a job or anything in the time he'd been there, nor had he been there long enough to pay at that point.

"I've already got a job." He laughed to himself as if it was funny before pulling a straight face, choosing not to expand on the subject any further. "You didn't think I was just a free loader, did you?"

"You could be," I said in my defence, stubbornly crossing my arms over my chest. "You've never mentioned how old you are, what your job is or anything else." It was true, and probably my first time saying it aloud. It was possible that it sounded as they I was demanding to know, but it was only natural to want to, was it not?

"You just had to ask." He grinned widely for the first time that day. I almost flinched at the sight of it from not being awake for one hour. "What's with the sudden interest?"

"Just acknowledging that we know nothing about each other." Although my words weren't an invitation for him to confess his life story, at least a small one would've been polite. My mother probably knew, though, but I wasn't exactly going to call her up just to talk. There was no way that she would have simply allowed him into our home without knowing his background. "You're not a very important person, are you?" I asked in a mocking tone, attempting for him to blurt out his answer in defence.

"You'd be surprised about what I am." Cavallone shook his head, contradicting the amused tone he had adopted before swiftly changing the subject again. "What about you?" he asked teasingly. "Don't have time to find a job for yourself... or are you too young?"

I scowled at him. I hadn't said my exact age at that point, but neither had he so my answers were justified. "I'm old enough," was all I replied with narrowed eyes as he cast one more look at the table in front of him before standing up. As Cavallone was walking towards me, I inspected him for the umpteenth time. I still had no idea what to assume about him; apparently he had a stable enough job to have been gone from wherever he'd been before for a long enough period of time. "Were you suspended, so you fled to spend time with your family?"

Cavallone hummed in amusement. "Not exactly," he exclaimed before laughing softly as he stood beside me. "Rather than that, it's better to say I have a lot of vacation days that I've never used."

I sidestepped. "Make use of them and disappear."

He didn't take the hint that I wanted to have space between us. Rather than staying where he was before, Cavallone sidestepped, too, and made it so his step was larger. Almost touching shoulders, he asked smugly, "So you can appear and kick me again?"

His comment was an unwelcome reminder of why I had actually done that, and it seemed that he was confused about my actions. "That wasn't the reason why," I ground out, stiffening from some of the images that came to mind. I'd told myself that I was fine with it, choosing to forget it, but with Cavallone smiling innocently beside me, it only irked me.

Cavallone only continued on. "Did you miss me?" he asked in the same tone, not acknowledging my words. "You could show your affection in another way instead of violence, you know. It might work better." He grinned, not looking down to see my clenched fist. Sidestepping again, I attempted to ignore his words, also the accusation within.

"Affection?" I scoffed, turning my head so we could make eye contact as my tone became mocking. "I hate you for everything you've done."

Lie, I told myself. I couldn't bring myself to hate him, but I still wanted to deny it, rather aloud than within my thoughts. Whether Cavallone could tell that I was lying or not was unknown to me, but he didn't break eye contact as we were quiet, just staring at each other as my words sunk in. Was it too hard to believe?

"I was a coward about it," he said lowly. "Sorry."

Blinking in surprise, I was slightly taken aback by his apology. Was I supposed to say I accepted it, or did I have to presume that he was regretting it? I couldn't lie to myself—any more than I already have done—to say that it wasn't consensual at all. Cavallone should have been able to tell that, too, but judging from the fact he wasn't brining it up, I wasn't going to either.

"Does that happen every time with you?" I asked, adopting the same mocking tone as before. I wasn't going to change my attitude just from one comment from him; there was no reason to. "A hobby of yours?"

"I can count on my hand how many people I've slept with, just like you can." Cavallone frowned, apparently offended by the accusation, much like I had been from his. I was only voicing some of the thoughts that had been in my head aloud—even if it wasn't the time nor place, it was adequate amount of time after it had happened to refer to it. After I'd kicked him to come back, it would have been far too awkward. "At least I hope you can."

"You're insulting me now?" I asked with a disgusted tone, taking a step to the side. If it hadn't been obvious it was my first time, I was worried about his previous lays. "Classy, Cavallone."

"The fact you're not denying it is just making me worried, to be honest, Kyouya," he replied in an even tone, although it was just a bit away from being monotone. "Tsuna had said you rejected everyone," he murmured to himself although I caught his words.

Apparently I'd become the topic of their conversation far too much. "There's your answer." I frowned, averting my eyes as I'd admitted my lack of knowledge. Cavallone was oddly quiet since I had answered, not attempting to move closer at all. Although it was awkward between us again, the atmosphere was far too comfortable to have been normal. I'd thought that I was imagining it at first, but it was more noticeable at that moment. It could have only been me who was effected by what was being said—had he had the same conversation in the past, and was simply repeating words? "This is ridiculous," I mused.

"I really did go about it the wrong way." He ran a hand through his bangs, sighing quietly. I thought I had more of a right to sigh, but I kept my lips in a form line as he moved closer. I stiffened from his shoulder touching mine as he leaned against the counter, still keeping his face away from mine. "I'd be lying if I said I regret it."

The corner of my lip twitched. "You have no shame."

"Maybe," he agreed half-heartedly, "maybe." We were quiet again after that; the only noise being me moving my arm away so we weren't touching. After a few more moments passed by, Cavallone cleared his throat with his intention obvious. "Will you allow me to make it up to you?"

The conversation was slowly crossing the line of ridiculousness. I hadn't expected him to offer that at all, and just the thought of him trying to apologise for taking my virginity was crazy. Against my best efforts to seem unaffected by it, the corner of my lip twitched again, that time staying up for a second or two. "It's not happening again."

"I wasn't expecting it to." He grinned, seemingly still optimistic. I tried not to read too much into his words, especially considering the last time we had been close; if his hand skimming across my stomach wasn't a hint, I was confused as to what one was. "What would make you happy?"

Before I could think about it properly, I'd blurted, "You keeping your hands to yourself."

"So you can do all the work?" he joked, clearing his throat again when I'd shot him a glare. It had worked well, though, as the only indication that his words weren't innocent was the suggestion tone it had been uttered in. "I can do that," Cavallone proclaimed.

I raised an eyebrow, tilting my head back mockingly. "You can?"

"On one condition." He grinned at me. "If you come somewhere with me tonight."

When I hadn't said anything in return, Cavallone had assumed that I'd agreed. So a few hours later, when it was close to becoming dark outside, I found myself walking beside him on the street. He didn't explain where we were going, nor did I bother to ask more than one time. We turned another corner when I glanced out of the corner of my eye, noticing that he was gnawing on his lower lip. There was no reason for him to have been nervous, but he still was, apparently. As much as I'd wanted to elbow him in the side or anything remotely similar, it would have been too obvious it was to get him to ease up.

"This is pointless," I proclaimed, crossing my arms over my chest as a shiver ran down my spine. For the last few days as a precaution I'd made sure to keep my phone on me at all almost all times.

"Come on, Kyouya." He grinned, suddenly placing his arm around my shoulders. I stiffened from the contact as he continued on to say, "Lighten up a bit."

"Hands," was all I said as I shoved him away from me. Cavallone exaggerated his wince before he laughed at my reaction, putting his hands inside of his pocket as he was still close. I shot him a distasteful glance as he was finding it amusing, my expression soon turning surprised when we turned another corner.

"You're probably going to kill me for this," he proclaimed thoughtfully, casting a small glance my way before he looked forward. "I just thought this would be a good chance. I was thinking about how to convince you to join me for a few days, actually."

"If you asked at all I would have rejected you," I mused, frowning as he grinned in agreement. "Don't look so happy about it." Scolding Cavallone didn't work either; his expression was still happy, even when he cleared his throat.

"Sorry, sorry." He laughed before having a straight face. Sidestepping towards me, he murmured quietly, "Do you still have your weapons on you?"

I blinked at the sudden question. "Of course." Was there a reason why I should not have had them on me? They came almost everywhere, apart from when my jacket was off. I eyed him suspiciously as I was expecting Cavallone to move closer, but surprisingly he stayed where he was.

"Can you not take them out tonight?" he asked with the same expression. "I'll do whatever you want me to afterwards, just don't... get too angry and threaten someone."

"And I should do that why?" I countered with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm actually helping you by bringing you here." Cavallone smiled sheepishly, poking his head around the corner. We'd somehow both stopped when he had brought up the subject. "Don't ruin it for us."

I didn't answer him when he'd said that, nor did I agree to such a thing, but it was curiosity that rendered me quiet for a period of time. Cavallone nudged me forward only once, making us walk in silence again, while my expression was gradually getting worse. Was it that bad that I wouldn't allow myself to be embarrassed? Surely, he had something he did, too, that possibly wasn't as drastic as resorting straight away to violence. That had just been how I was brought up, and I was told there was nothing wrong with it. Of course, there were moments when my mother would look at me as if I was crazy, but she still accepted me. She'd been gone for far too long at points, sometimes the reunion conversation between us being far too awkward.

At points Cavallone did remind me of her. The happy go lucky attitude, and even the way they both smiled in the most ridiculous of situations. Was it all just to spite me? When I'd finally been freed from her for awhile, he appeared to practically replace her until she was back. Maybe it would've been good for me to consider him a substitute, and leave it at just that. Not to look too far into our odd relationship.

"How long are you staying for?" I asked, finally, in a surprisingly strong voice. I had expected for it to have been weaker, but showed no surprise in my expression after I had said so. "Just until my mother comes back, isn't it?" My hands soon found their way to my pockets as I looked forward.

"Yeah," he confirmed, mimicking my pose, "it is."

There was no reason to have been surprised. I was just confirming what I already knew; therefore, there was even more reason to avoid him as soon as possible. Getting any more attached would have been a ridiculous move. "Did she tell you when that is? I'm assuming you know more than me."

"Why would I?" He sounded confused as I kept my eyes straight in front of us. Rather than looking at his expression from the sudden change of the conversation. "She's your mother, Kyouya. I don't even remember the conversation that well."

"And yet you still agreed to move in without knowing all the details?" I scoffed.

"I never said I wasn't an idiot." The grin was obvious within his tone. "But aren't you happy you're not alone? It could have been just you in that apartment for who knows how long."

My lips curled down into a frown, the furrowing of my eyebrows deepening, too, as we walked. "You're speaking as long it hasn't happened before," I said simply with a dismissive tone, hopefully conveying that I wasn't going to elaborate.

"Kyouya," Cavallone started before changing the subject quickly, apparently picking up on my hint. "...We're here."

Within minutes I was feeling more awkward than I had done for a few weeks. Cavallone had pushed me inside of a restaurant while ignoring my words of disapproval, his hands there were placed upon my shoulders only retracting when he waved at someone. Before I could protest properly, he'd whispered into my ear that he'd do whatever I'd ask at a later time if I was civil, causing me to blink in surprise while turning my head to cast him an odd look. Cavallone simply smiled at me before diverting his attention, locking eyes with an older woman at a table.

And that was how I found myself perched on the end of a chair, crossed arms as I frowned at the stare on my face. It was obvious that I wasn't the only one who was feeling awkward at that moment; as soon as I'd looked at who was beside the woman, Sawada's jaw had almost dropped when we saw each other. I did remember that Cavallone had explained that they were related, but I hadn't expected to have been tricked into meeting him properly. Was Cavallone's intention to try and correct the assumptions his cousin had made about us?

At first there was no conversation directed my way and I was thankful for that. I wasn't particularly going to be nice to them—they were strangers, and there was nothing in it for me, really. The fact that Cavallone hadn't elaborated to where we were going, too, was more annoying than not. Though, if he had told me beforehand there was a more likely chance that I would have never appeared at all. He was simply smiling a lot and laughing as he spoke to the woman, who I was assuming to be Sawada's mother, while Sawada himself seemed to be gawking my face. Surprise, it seemed, the same emotion that kept being reflected in my eyes when I tried to hide it. It was a weakness and nothing else.

I was familiar with where we were, and knew that the owner had a son that went to the middle school. If they were the server, I knew there were going to be some assumptions made. How could I clear them up? I mused, not sure how to deal with the situation. If Cavallone was going to owe me anything, it was going to be big. The thought of having him practically wrapped around my little finger was enticing.

"Kyouya," Cavallone called, brining me out of my thoughts. I blinked in surprise as I saw him waving his hand in front of my face, frowning the next moment from embarrassment. "You were absorbed in your thoughts."

"So you felt the need to be rude?" I murmured in an irritated tone. I felt more eyes than normal on me at that moment, obviously catching the attention at the table. Awkward, I reminded myself. "What is this, Cavallone?"

He decided to play innocent. Turning towards me, he had a fake look of concern. "Is something wrong?" he asked, blinking more times than necessary. Under the table—since we were sat next to each other, the other two on the opposite side—I took the liberty of kicking him discreetly. Cavallone winced before laughing quietly, far too amused as I frowned. "You can deal with this easily," he proclaimed in a teasing tone. "And, for your information, I'm paying. I know you've probably left your wallet at home."

I had but my main focus was on his family bewildered from the mention of home. "I'm giving you the money later."

"No." He beamed. "It's one of the ways I'm trying to make it up to you."

I tried not to flush from the mention of it in public, happy when the attention was directed away from me. "What did you do the the poor boy?" Sawada's mother cut in with a scolding tone, directed at Cavallone alone. "I hope you're not causing trouble already, Dino."

He forced a fake laugh—one that was far too obvious, but they both seemed to buy it—before awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. One of his habits, of course. "I kind of broke something."

Kicking him even harder under the table, I flushed in mortification. He'd definitely used the wrong kind of word; it was offensive more than anything else. Cavallone had barely winced that time, not even glancing my way as he grinned sheepishly at his aunt. I was about to kick him harder that time, remembering that he didn't say that I couldn't resort to violence without weapons, before it was my time to be bewildered. I had been clutching onto either side of my chair so my hands were out of sight, so when he placed his on top of mine, I was surprised. Still, Cavallone wasn't looking at me but I assumed the movement was supposed to be soothing.

I only allowed it for a few minutes, just before it was making me stiffen up more than before. When Cavallone started to move his thumb in small circles against my skin, I smacked his hand away from mine, crossing my arms over my chest to prevent it from happening. Rather than looking at me, he only shot me a small knowing smirk before turning his attention away again.

"Tsuna was getting all sorts of worried about you staying with Hibari-_kun_," the woman cut in as I blinked from the strange honorific. "See." She grinned, placing her hand fondly onto her son's shoulder. "There's nothing to be worried about."

My assumptions were correct. The only reason that I was there was to clear up any doubts or suspicions that his family had about me. As Sawada himself stiffened from the attention being directed towards him that time, I raised an eyebrow as he made eye contact with me. With an expression akin to a deer caught in headlights, I wanted to smirk. As I told myself that it would have been unfair to have given him detention from any slip ups he could have made at that moment, Cavallone cut in instead.

"More like he's worried about how it's going to affect his school life." Cavallone grinned knowingly causing Sawada to blush from head to toe. "You should know already that he's the one that gives out all the detentions." Cavallone only tilted his head towards me to indicate who it was. From being referred to rudely rather than kicking him, I stomped on his foot.

Naturally they didn't notice. "Oh?" She blinked. "My silly child probably deserves it, like you did, too, when you were in school." That confirmed my suspicions that he was old enough to have left. There was no way I could have out right asked, was there?

"Mom!" Sawada flushed.

Just to spite him, I smirked. "He is an idiot."

That time Cavallone was the one to chastise me under the table. I shot him a glare when he kicked me lightly, but he only grinned in response.

The food came quickly after that, and as there was finally silence while we were eating, I soon obtained another reason to mock Cavallone. Purposely pointing to the fallen food on the table with my chopstick, I murmured so only he could hear, "The idea is to eat the food, not decorate the table."

"Just don't look," he shot back, pressing his into my cheek as if trying to turn my head. I scowled at his attempt while knocking them away, ignoring him after that.

The atmosphere that had been there almost all the time we were seated was more than enough to irk me. Cavallone's reason for bringing me was clear, but it still seemed as though he was purposely making me acknowledge the family atmosphere. It was one that I had never had, properly, and he was rubbing it in either intentionally or unintentionally. Whether he had caught on about the relationship I shared with my mother was a completely different matter; until he spoke about himself, I was being quiet. Sawada's mother was completely different to him. For the first time meeting her, rather than seeing her blend into the rest of the crowd on the street, she was far too nice. Instead of treating me as a stranger, she didn't seem concerned when I didn't answer or extend the conversation. I was only there for the food, really, and since the rest of the restaurant was empty.

When she excused herself to go to the bathroom, Sawada immediately looked at his cousin with demanding eyes, while trying to ignore that I was there, it seemed.

"I knew you'd do this the moment she was gone," Cavallone murmured to himself before running a hand through his hair. "It's the real Kyouya, Tsuna. Not someone I paid to dress up."

"How... did you convince him to come?" Sawada blurted out, shifting his gaze onto me.

Raising both of my eyebrows I simply said, "Bribed."

Nervously, Cavallone laughed. "Yeah. I owe him for coming but it's worth it. This clears up any suspicions you have, right?"

"Suspicions?" Sawada blinked. "What suspicions?"

"You—" Cavallone had started before I kicked him under the table again, that time causing him to jump in surprise and hit his knee against the table. He winced in pain before rubbing his knee, sticking his lower lip out as he looked at me. "What was that for?"

I pushed my chair out. "I'm going outside." There was no invitation in my words, so when I was able to make it outside alone, I was slightly happy.

By that time it was already dark, slightly cold, too, so when I placed my arms over my chest it was from the cold rather than my attitude. Standing in the alley beside the restaurant, I leaned against the brick wall while closing my eyes, trying to think about whether it was a good idea. It was just the atmosphere that was getting to me, and I knew that I was only going to be disappointing if I went through with it, as always, but my better judgement left me.

Fishing the phone out of my pocket, I welcomed the dial tone as the phone was ringing. With every ring, I could see my breath as it came out. After four rings, I was surprised when she answered. "Hello?"

I blinked. She sounded out of breath, barely being able to get the word out before she sucked in a large breath.

"Hello?" she repeated before pulling the phone away, I assumed, as her voice was gradually getting quieter. Why wasn't I answering? It wasn't like me to call her first, too. "Eh, Kyouya?"

"When's the shoot over?" I asked, not implying that I wanted her back or anything remotely similar. If I kept the topic on work, then she would not have guessed anything was wrong. Not that there was—the atmosphere that was in the restaurant was just too much.

She hummed loudly while thinking, obviously squinting her eyes as she thought hard about it. Forgetful, she was. "In a week. Then, there's another one where I've been hired to be the director for; you're not _finally _accepting to be one of the models, are you?"

"No." That meant at least up to three weeks; she would not have come back when there were reasons were her to be away, or at least a small bit of work left. Since I had happened to take a liking to one of her sewing needles before, that was another reason why she didn't like working at home. I was older at that moment, though, but she still didn't trust me. "I was just checking about money."

"You know we have more than enough money, and if you're worried just use one of my cards." She laughed as if it wasn't a big deal.

"I don't like doing that," I murmured, mostly to myself.

I could hear the smile in her tone. "You don't like being associated with me, right?"

Her intuition was correct at the strangest of times. "You're not exactly mother material," I said simply, referring to the business trips and countless amounts of nannies I had had growing up.

"Very funny," she drawled sarcastically, most likely rolling her eyes as she said so. "I can't be a good mother with you. Do you remember rejecting my affection when you were young?" she asked, causing me to blink. I didn't exactly remember—I did, however, remember her giving up. "And you _never _ate the lunches I made for you! Time and effort went into that, young man, and you always shoved them back into my hands or carried them around all day without touching them."

Whether or not it was true, I didn't know; I thought I had had a rather good memory, but the rare conversation was making me doubt myself. "You're lying," I proclaimed stubbornly, squaring my jaw in indignation although she couldn't see it.

"Nope," she drawled. "They were so pretty! I decorated them with little flowers, just so you knew I cared, and yet you rejected them every single time."

If that was the reason, I had probably been blocking it out of my memory. "How long did you do that for?" I asked.

It was at that moment that Cavallone poked his head around the corner of the building, blinking when he saw me down the alley. He was about to say something loudly when I shot him a glare, returning to staring at the wall in front of me.

While choosing to ignore his existence, Mother proclaimed, "Until you were in middle school."

Definitely a painful memory. "I'm allergic to some flowers."

She gasped. "You are?"

"You should know this." I pinched the bridge of my nose in exasperation. "Isn't this proving what I said earlier? You know I'm normally right."

When Cavallone was standing beside me, I still kept my stare on the wall in front. He was perched against the wall, I assumed, and was probably wondering why I was taking so long to go back inside. I didn't want to go back inside at all, if I was being honest.

She sighed. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Aren't you supposed to know?" I shot back, scowling. "There are medical records and such, are there not?"

"I didn't test you out for every little thing to see if you were allergic. I didn't _know _with you as you rejected anything that looked disgusting to you."

My lips curled into a deeper frown. "Not my problem." I didn't flinch that time when Cavallone placed his hand on mine, but I did have an expression of surprise for a moment. I knocked his hand away quickly, ignoring him again.

"Most mothers say I'm lucky," she mused, changing the conversation subject, "when I say that my son hasn't changed since he was young." Her tone wasn't as pleasant as I had thought originally—definitely, she was annoyed, too. "You're the same as ever, Kyouya. Rude, opinionated and disobedient. As you get older, you don't changed at all."

"Liar," I hissed. "I've learned not to depend on you." And with that said the conversation was over. I angrily hung up and closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down. It always happened when we spoke for longer than necessary—something ridiculous got brought up, and I was always left fuming and I didn't know about her. We were barely together when it happened, maybe we were just not good with phones? When I felt Cavallone staring at me for far too long, I hissed, "What?"

"Would I be right if I guessed that was your mother?" he asked in a neutral tone as I looked away again. "You should be nicer to her, don't you think?"

"Are you _really _going to give me a lecture?" I snapped, sidestepping away from him.

Cavallone hummed as if he was thinking of an answer, the smile that crossed his lips looking too fake to be true. "Take it from someone who knows," he said, "it's just a piece of advice."

"I'm not going to listen to it," I grunted, not liking the turn in the conversation. Someone who knows? What could he have known that I didn't, and was implying that I was lacking knowledge? Our ages were different, but I was sure that I was smarter than him from all of the stupid moves he had pulled. "Give up, Cavallone."

Rather than pulling away, I sighed when he grasped my hand again. He was persistent on doing that and that time, I just let him be to get it over and done with. "How would you feel if the last words you said to them were rude?"

I blinked. "Fine."

"Trust me." He intertwined our fingers. "You wouldn't feel fine after a few days, let alone years."

My eyebrow twitched from being told how to feel. "Why are you even here?" I snapped. "Go back inside with your family."

"It's finished." He grinned. "I've paid, so they've gone home now. Thank you, though, for coming with me," Cavallone said happily, nudging his shoulder against mine. "What do I owe you?"

"You're keeping your hands to yourself," I reminded him.

With a smug smile, he squeezed my hands. "Tomorrow." I pondered how to respond to him, yet as a shiver ran up my spine I choose to stay quiet. It seemed more than a minute—around five, actually—before he said, "The two you met in there are actually my closest family."

"...And you're telling me this why?" I asked, slightly surprised that he was bothering to tell me at all. My bored tone was enough to tell him that I wasn't interested, yet when I looked at him, Cavallone just smiled. A fake one once again.

"You wanted to know about me, didn't you?"

"No," I lied, turning my head away as I scowled at the wall in front of us. "I did not."

He laughed knowingly, holding my hand tighter when I'd tried to move away. "No need to be shy with me." He chuckled, squeezing my hand as I stiffened. "I've already seen everything."

"You—" I ground out with a disgusted expression, snatching my hand away from his as I took a step back. I could feel that my face was heating up from the implications slightly, but I chose to blame it on the temperature around us rather than the thoughts that were going on inside my head. "Then I'm going to ask you something."

Cavallone hummed. "Shoot."

"When we were..." I gulped, closing my eyes so I didn't have to see his expression at all. "When we were having sex, what did you keep saying?" I'd wanted to say rape; rather, it would've been better for myself if I had been able to, but I'd already acknowledged that it was consensual.

He whistled in return before taking his time to say, "I don't feel like telling you."

I elbowed him roughly in the ribs—causing him to wince for a moment—while still keeping my eyes focused in front of me. Avoiding looking at him, I was. "Give me the translation," I hissed.

"Maybe I'll tell you if you're good." When I finally faced him, it was just to punch him from agitation. Cavallone avoided it quickly enough, making the punch only a lousy one that connected with his shoulder. "You didn't need to get violent. I'm not going to tell you now."

I pushed myself away from the wall, wiping any dirt that could have gotten on me off. "You're awful," I proclaimed, proceeding to walk away with him trailing only a few steps behind me.

Cavallone laughed at my reaction at first before he was quiet, not attempting to touch me again. I almost jumped when my phone started vibrating within my pocket, and I hoped that he wasn't able to tell my reaction. I stared at the screen lighting up with an unknown expression, unsure whether to answer the call or not. It wasn't my mother that was calling—she'd probably given up, again—but rather the person I'd been waiting to contact me. Was their timing _that _bad?

"What do you want?"

His voice was unmistakable. "Dates are nice, aren't they?" The laugh that came after, too, I could recognise. Was he there, nearby so he could see me with Cavallone? Glancing out of the corners of my eye, I saw no one else around us as we were walking. Cavallone was oblivious, or just ignoring our conversation, while he walked looking up at the sky.

"You're near," I mused quietly, increasing my pace. "What's the point of your call?"

I could hear the smirk in his voice. "Let's see if you can find me, Kyouya."

**AN: **What is plot? I don't know myself. Okay, so I don't remember who the character who was supposed to be Kyouya's mother was so I... made her Haru. A Haru who's job is in the fashion industry, so that's why she's gone for ages. I don't really know why but I like making the two of them family and she needs to be a mother at some point! The oblivious kind that gets _everything _wrong. That's how I think she'll be, at least. Don't kill me for the weird insert of the dinner. I don't really know what I'm trying to write. x_x I'm trying to plan my stories again, as my notes either get deleted or stolen in my notepad.

On a side note, if I don't update for ages it's because I've been killed by my parents. I went out for lunch with my brother and we casually bought a kitten and took him home fifteen minutes later lol. He's so cute and a ball of fur, d'aww~ ;;v; This is going to be the end of me.


	22. Mockery

**nightingale mistress: **Yup, Haru as Kyouya's mother! Haha, I don't know Nana's character at all. I've never read the manga and I'm a forgetful person, you see. Yup, got a little kitten now! He's doubled in size since I posted the last chapter, haha, and kept attacking me as I was trying to write this. **Rinneko Tsukinomori: **Sorry, sorry. I don't really know how to write fluff... ;A; **asdfghjkl: **F-fluffiness? I can't write fluff, I don't know what story you're reading but it's not this one, haha. LMAO MARRIAGE. I never thought about that. Oops. Gotcha!

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter twenty-two—Mockery

There were always moments where I questioned my position. Was I considered weak enough that I would bend my will to follow someone else's? I knew I wouldn't, ever, but that didn't stop me from considering it for a moment. When I became aware of Cavallone's curious gaze on my face, I kept my eyes focused on the phone. I wasn't going to meet him, and I was sure that he was close by. Did Cavallone know, too, or was he still oblivious to anything regarding me?

"Kyouya," he called with an odd expression. "Did your mom call you back?"

As I should have suspected, he had no idea whatsoever. He only thought about what he could see, as I was sure that was what I thought about him as well. There was no reason for me to delve into his life if I didn't see it fit. He was just a companion of sorts, I supposed, someone to spend time with even if he did annoy me.

"Kyouya?" he drawled, taking a step closer.

"I'm leaving." It could have been a trap. Maybe they were connected with each other, and Cavallone was there to distract me more. Though, that might have been plausible if it was visible that I didn't find it easy to think straight around him. I was pretty sure I had that small detail to myself. I glanced at the older male over my shoulder, meeting his curious, yet mildly surprised, expression before he smiled at me. "You're not following me."

"I'm on my way home," he said mischievously. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Yeah." I snorted. "We live in the other direction."

That didn't cause him to falter. "I felt like taking the long way today." He crossed his arms behind his head, walking just a step beside me as I didn't pick up my pace. Maybe it was because I wasn't feeling as uncomfortable as usual with him, or even because I'd taken my irritation out on so done else. And, possibly, there was going to be a chance to let it out again, not with him. There had been too much of my attention focused on Cavallone; he was probably becoming spoiled. "And where are you off to exactly?"

"Nowhere in particular," I answered honestly, not seeing the point in lying. Whether I was walking to get my thoughts clear or trying to find the culprit, I wasn't too sure.

"Go somewhere with me, then."

"No, thanks." We had spent far too much time together that day as it was. But then again, Cavallone might have been more persistent than usual since he had insisted that the rule of not touching me was going to put into place the day after. "Go home already."

"I'll get there eventually." He brushed his hand against mine and I didn't flinch, subtly taking a step to the right away from him. "Are you too scared to spend time with me at night?"

"Scared?" I snapped, not realising that I was reacting just as he had wanted me to. "I'm not scared of you, Cavallone." Sure, I was uncomfortable but it had never occurred to me that I was supposed to be scared of him.

"Let's see, Kyouya." He grinned, the smile meeting his eyes as he glanced at me before looking ahead, walking faster than me, too. He looked over his shoulder to look back and say, "Prove to me that you're not."

After I'd purposely bumped into him as I strode past, a strange thought occurred to me. It was possible that Cavallone was acting how he was to make me relax, in an odd way, so it was back to normal. Although it had seemed the conversation was more natural earlier—even if I was still insulting him—as soon as I'd received the call, I'd tensed up. Huh, I thought to myself, he'd somehow noticed when even I hadn't. "And how would I prove it?" I asked neutrally.

"I'm not tricking you into kissing me this time," he said bashfully, "unless you want to, of course. I'm not tricking you into _anything_."

"You're always tricking me into something," I corrected him. It took me a few moments before I murmured under my breath, "And I never realise until it's too late." That seemed to happen too much between us, but I knew that it wasn't going to last for long. Cavallone was going to leave soon and I'd already gotten myself too attached to him, probably because he was the complete opposite of me. I decided, as I saw my breath in the air in front of me, that it was probably for the best if I was able to solve whatever doubts I was having.

"What did you say after that?" he asked, curiously.

"I called you an idiot," I lied, not sure why I was at all. At that point in time I was sure Cavallone was just lonely, and since the only other people that he knew within the country, or so I'd assumed, happened to be his family, he'd decided to express his lust towards me instead. The only feelings were in my end; that's what it seemed like. Was he experiencing anything that I was? "Cavallone," I called.

He hummed. "Yes?"

I didn't know how to phrase my question without seeming like an idiot. Though, did it really matter at that point? "Why are you constantly trying to spend time with me?" It's pointless, I added in my head, it just gives me false hope. When I'd processed my thoughts correctly, I bit down on my lip in horror. False hope, I'd thought, so it might have been more than attachment. Though, I didn't know how to exactly pinpoint what I was feeling. "All that happens is I insult you or get angry." I was voicing aloud my thoughts at that point.

"You're forgetting that your expressions are amusing to watch." My eye twitched from hearing the good response. "But I'm not just doing it for amusement. I've told you, I like you."

"Nonsense," I snapped like a hypocrite. "You barely know me." I was lecturing myself at that point; saying aloud what needed to be said to me.

"I think I know you well enough," he announced, catching up to me to grab gently onto my elbow to stop me in my tracks. "You're doubting what I say?" Cavallone asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he stared into my eyes. I gulped, unconsciously, feeling the urge to avert my eyes. I pushed it aside, though, and focused on his words. "Why?"

"Why exactly should I believe you?" And myself, too?

"Isn't it obvious?" He blinked. "You've seen me acting like an idiot front of you, trying to impress you as well." I had noticed him acting like an idiot, of course, but not the second.

"Cavallone," I said evenly, "you kissed me less than an hour after we'd met." I hadn't brought up the topic before, but that didn't mean that I'd forgotten. Surprisingly, Cavallone's hand tightened it's grip on my arm. I didn't resist against his hold, though,just staring blankly at him as I was feeling the irritation increase. Annoyance was all I felt beside him, was it because I was frustrated that I didn't know? "I see no reason to believe you because of that."

"I was over whelmed." He flushed almost from head to toe. "I was happy I'd gotten to see you, Kyouya."

I blanched. "Are you a stalker or just an idiot?"

"Number two," he said, still blushing, "I'd never met you before I'd come here. Though, Tsuna had mentioned someone that had beaten him up over the phone, and I'm pretty sure that was you."

"Then are you expecting me to believe that you liked me when we first met?" I asked suspiciously, and doubtfully, with a straight face. "Don't be such a herbivore, Cavallone." My thoughts were right. To Cavallone, I was just someone to make time go quicker with whilst he was in Japan. No one significant, apparently.

"Do you want me to confess right here and now?" He raised an eyebrow, returning my firm stare without a hint of amusement within his eyes or expression. He was trying to appear serious, but it wasn't going to work. "I would not have slept with you if I felt nothing."

"Well, it's good that you felt something during that time," I snapped, lying to myself in the process. Even though I had already accepted, and even anticipated at the time, what had happened, that didn't mean I didn't want to see Cavallone flinch at the mere mention of it not being consensual. "It's all about you, isn't it, Cavallone?" I just wanted to wind him up, to see the annoyance that was usually reflected in my expression to be in his for once. Cavallone immediately looked hurt, surprisingly, but still kept his stare. "I asked you to stop."

His hand didn't tighten on me that time. Instead he slid his hands down to grip my wrist loosely. Just enough so I could feel the warmth of his hand on my skin, while the cold air was lowering my temperature. "Were you leading me on?"

"I never did such a thing," I snapped, shaking off his hand that time. Crossing my arms over my chest to keep warmer, I noticed that we had stopped on a random street. I hadn't exactly been paying attention to where we were, but it was further away from them apartment then was needed. "It was all you, Cavallone. I always rejected you."

"Kyouya." He looked at me strangely, as if trying to figure a puzzle out quickly. "Whenever I've kissed you, you've always responded. Even when we first met, you returned it," he pointed out causing me to flush in mortification. I hoped from how dark it was outside that he couldn't tell, though. "So if I've missed where you've rejected me, please, enlighten me."

"Are you purposely trying to forget that I usually injure you to get you to stop? Though, you didn't listen to me when you were just thinking with your lower half."

He didn't flinch that time. "Your expression contradicted your words."

The mere thought of trying to imagine what my expression had looked like to encourage him to continue caused a shiver to run up my spine. It was like that for everyone, wasn't it? Most showed such an expression to the ones they liked easily, yet I was mortified. By the thought of liking Cavallone in that way and the thought of my expression. I must have done something awful in a previous life to have deserved this. "Liar," I hissed. My hands had fallen down to my sides at that point, to clench my hands into fists slowly, so I was slightly surprised when Cavallone gripped my wrist. He had probably thought that was going to be the point that I'd walk away.

"You say that it's all about me," he said slowly, "so why don't we talk about you, Kyouya?" I didn't reply, just staring at him as his grip was loosening. "You were either leading me on or you like me. Which is it?"

Why were there only two options? I pursed my lips, not sure whether it would have been a good idea to answer him honestly or not. It was bad enough that I had only just come to terms with it myself, but in the same night having to admit it aloud seemed too much for me. "I don't see why you need to know."

"I've told you, so it's only fair that you tell me, too." His expression was still serious, and I was gradually forgetting what I was outside for. "Which?"

My choices were either to be insulted or embarrassed. Rather than saying it aloud, it was clear that Cavallone could understand through actions instead. Mimicking what had happened between us far too many times before, I raised myself up and moved my face closer to his. Cavallone, almost automatically, copied my movements and moved closer to me, too. We were touching noses when I stopped, smirking, so our lips were almost pressed against each other's. "Did you think I was going to kiss you?" I asked quietly, noticing my pulse had quickened.

"I think you just answered my question," he replied just as quietly, "you're just leading me on, aren't you?"

I felt my eye twitched before I leaned forward a small amount, finally pressing our lips together as I noticed his expression became surprised. Cavallone had wide eyes before he was in the right mindset, the hand that had been clasping my wrist falling down to take my hand. As I slowly moved my lips against his, and closed my eyes so I didn't have to focus on his expressions any longer, his other gently brushed against my cheek. His movements were cautious, as if he was expecting it to end at any moment. Cavallone didn't push to deepen the kiss, though, keeping it slow so I could barely feel it from how cold my lips were. I didn't flinch when he pulled away after placing one chaste kiss on my lips, pressing his forehead against mine before I shivered.

"Yeah, definitely leading me on." He laughed cheerfully.

I shoved him an arms distance away immediately. "Too close," was all I said.

"Kyouya," he whined, not insulted that I'd pushed him away at all. On the contrary, he looked pleased with himself, even more so than before. Whether the scarlet across his face was thanks to me or the weather was a mystery to me. "If that's the type of rejection you were on about, no wonder I didn't notice."

"Be quiet, Cavallone," I snapped, trying to think of an appropriate reason to walk away. From him being too close to me all over again, I supposed that he wouldn't let me oh so easily. "It's cold."

"You don't have to be shy." He laughed happily. "I'll warm you up any time, Kyouya." The next time he laughed it surely had to have been due to my expression. "Why do you keep edging away from me?" I had thought I was being discreet.

I lied, "I'm not comfortable with you."

Cavallone blinked, visibly surprised. "I can understand that," he admitted with a sheepish smile, "I'm nervous, too."

"I didn't say I was nervous," I replied testily, still attempting to edge away. "Don't put words into my mouth." Cavallone happily laughed loudly, walking quickly to catch up to me. He was determined not to let me out of his site, apparently, and I could do nothing about it. I yanked my hand away from his when he had attempted to hold it too inconspicuously. "Why aren't you leaving me alone?" I snapped, frustrated.

"I have no reason to be cautious any more," he proclaimed, his tone still happier than it should have been. "Aren't you mine now?"

"No." I blinked. "Definitely not."

"Eh?" Cavallone whined loudly, clasping my wrist as he brought us both to a stop. I immediately tugged my arm away, shooting him an odd look over my shoulder. His expression was mostly surprised, while the rest was simply confused. "How does that work?" he asked, purposely pointing to where we were minutes ago. "Then what was that?"

I raised an eyebrow, unsure whether he could see it or it. "What do you think it was, Cavallone?" By asking that, he was clearly going to answer any of the doubts that I had, too.

"Wasn't that you saying that you liked me?"

"If you don't even know what it was, I don't see any reason to clarify it you," I replied. If he couldn't tell me, then there was no one that could. I was still questioning my own actions; why had I allowed myself to have been set up for a let down? Though Cavallone had proclaimed that the _feeling_was reciprocated, I couldn't be too sure with how he was acting. I was still someone that he was just letting his lust out on, wasn't I? And nothing betray us would last, either because of my sour attitude or because he was going to be leaving. So, I decided that it was best to finish it there, instead of waiting for the answer.

"Hey," he said, softly, "don't suddenly start being awful again."

"Awful? That was complimentary."

"I didn't mean it like that," Cavallone moaned, running his free hand through is hair while he was standing too close again. I frowned as he stared at me, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion. "Why are you being difficult about this?"

"...Leading you on seems more fun."

And that was how I'd forgotten my objective for walking off in the first place, ending up almost catching a cold from being under dressed for the weather and having to slam my bedroom door on Cavallone's face when he'd tried follow me inside. Though, I'd quickly peeked at the time in my phone and proclaimed, happily, that it was past midnight so he had to keep his word of keeping his hands off of me. I was surprised that he simply sighed and wished me good night before disappearing, leaving me to my own things. The next day, he just smiled far too many times while I tried to get my head in the right place. Did I want to wipe the smile off of his face or ask if what I thought had happened really had or not? I told myself to forget it, eating my food quickly before disappearing without a word.

It aggravated me that I didn't know the blue-haired male's name. I knew what he looked like, his weird laugh and that he had an odd tendency to know what I was doing, and, not forgetting, he also had weaklings who were apparently followers of him. Then there was the fact he liked to send me random messages, too. Sticking his Jose. to my business, and Cavallone's, too, was simply frustrating. "Where would he be?" I asked myself, shaking my head when I realised I was contemplating going out of my way to find him. He was going to find me, eventually. It wasn't a challenge.

_Why is it you seem to bother me when I'm busy?_

I'd taken the initiative to message him first.

_It's more amusing that way, Kyouya. I could bother you all of the time but that would become pretty boring for both of us._

He was damn right that it would become boring. I was almost bored of it already, if it wasn't for my urge to at least punch him once for interrupting my life and causing trouble where I lived. I was sure that since I hadn't seen him before that he had appeared only recently, just to make it so my life was more annoying than before.

_I'm not enjoying this, to be honest. Just shut up and come out so I can bite you to death._

Bite me in a different way, please.

I was beginning to think that I was crazy for assuming that Cavallone would have said something like that, too. As tempted as I was to reply, or even call the other male, to clarify what his goal was for aggravating me, I decided to ignore it. I stuffed my phone into my pocket again, happily turning it off, before thinking about what would have been a good stress reliever. I didn't want to exhaust myself any further, especially since I had had trouble going to sleep the night before.

When I was still deciding, I felt a tap on my left shoulder. Turning around as quickly as I could, I had my eyes narrowed when they met with a pair of heterochromatic irides. I recognised them instantly, and when my eyes moved down to look at the smirk across his lips, I could feel the tension I was feeling the night before coming back all over again.

"Yes?" I said, simply, not sure how to start the conversation between us. I still wasn't too sure what exactly he wanted from me; from appearing out of the blue while I was buying a book and then appearing at my apartment, his goal hadn't been clear. Even more so when he had started to cause trouble. "What do you want?" My tone was rude enough that I wanted to pat myself on the back.

"Just a few minutes of your time."

I walked into my apartment quickly, and as quietly, as I could and opened the door to the bathroom immediately. I gripped the sink, unsure whether the feeling within my stomach was mild nausea or enough to have made me be sick or not. I could feel the cold sweat on my forehead as I took in a deep breath, closing my eyes as I blamed myself entirely for what had happened. When breathing n through my nose didn't seem to be helping, I risked breathing through my mouth whilst clutching my stomach. Allergies were something that I knew well for me, and yet I hadn't been able to recognise the scent the first few times I had met him. Mukuro, as he introduced himself to be, was either cunning and somehow knew about the scents that triggered my reactions, or he had no idea what so ever and thought that he smelled nice and appealing. That would have made up for his facial features, if it were true.

When I was sure that I was safe, and not in danger of throwing up within seconds, I washed my face quickly before carefully brushing my teeth. Just to make myself feel clean again.

The meeting had been okay, tolerable, in fact. Though, when he had gotten closer and had stayed within my personal space for longer than necessary, my patience had snapped. When I'd attempted to grab him by the collar of his white shirt, he'd side stepped before laughing mockingly. "Damn it," I said, knocking my hand against the sink in frustration. "I was so close." Bloody allergies, I added in my head.

"Eh, you're back?" Cavallone exclaimed, stepping into the bathroom as I'd left the door open, apparently. "You're really pale."

"I'm just cold," I lied, staring down at the sink, still, as I waited to see whether he'd simply walk away. There was going to be no touching between us, after all. "Go away now." I added in a dismissive hand gesture to emphasise my displeasure with him being there. I still felt nauseous, just not as much as I had before. Though, it could have come back at any moment without me being aware of it.

"You can't just expect me to leave." I wish I could have and then somehow made him to live up to my deranged expectations. "I just want to talk to you."

I closed my eyes, feeling a sudden rush of dizziness as I had taken in another deep breath. The scent was on my clothes, too, meaning that I'd inhaled a sudden waft of it. "Now is not the time, Cavallone. Get out so I can shower."

"I can't shower with you?" he asked, and I didn't know whether he was being serious or not. I picked up the nearest object, that turned out to be a bar of soap, and threw it in his direction. Somehow he hadn't been able to dodge the object in time, causing the soap to hit him square in the forehead. "Hey! I'm going, I'm going. Just don't injure me, please." As soon as the door was shut, I turned the shower on cover the sound of me being sick.

I disposed of my clothes quickly, slipping into a normal outfit before lying down on my bed. I closed my eyes, wanting to catch up on the sleep that I had missed. But there was always something to distract me and postpone my sleep. That time it was the noise of my phone vibrating in my pocket. I was certain that I had turned it off, but that might have been my mind playing tricks on me.

_Did you like the scent that I had today?_

Mukuro had to have known about my allergy, somehow. I was expecting a good fight from him, some fun, finally, and thrill. But what received wasn't anything of the sort; Mukuro had wanted to talk more than anything else, yet he hadn't decided on a topic and kept going back and forth. He hadn't mentioned Cavallone at all, though, even though he had in his messages before. He denied being a stalker or anything relatively similar, claiming that he was simply a curious passer by that was always in the right place at the right time. Annoying, I thought.

_I prefer anyone else's over yours, herbivore._

If that was the case, why were we just casually messaging each other seeming like we were old friends? It didn't matter that the messages we rude, though, it was still an odd experience to type away quickly on the device for a long amount of time. I shook my head to get my head into the right mindset, rubbing my hair with the towel one more time befriend straightening my shirt, and walking out into the living room. As I'd expected, Cavallone was still in the apartment. He wasn't staring down at paperwork like he had been before, instead talking quietly on his phone while looking at his knee.

He was absorbed with whoever he was talking to that he didn't notice me walking across the room and pouring a glass of water. "I know," he said just loud enough for me to hear. I was sure he wasn't talking so I could understand the last time I'd caught him on the phone. "I'm being selfish, still."

I took a sip of the water, raising my eyebrows in curiosity. It wasn't able of my business to hear what he was talking about, but since he hadn't noticed I was there and he was actually admitting how much of an idiot he was, I didn't want to miss whatever I could hear.

"I can cut it short," he said firmly, "how much longer did I have left before you took away some days?" Either it was business or about long he was supposed to be here. Cavallone might be leaving earlier, I thought. "I kind of have something to do here still. Can't I just do some of the work here?" I jumped onto the counter, sitting down on top of it so I was more comfortable and out of his line of vision. "W-wait," Cavallone stuttered nervously. "What do you mean you're on the way to Nana's?"

If I recalled correctly, Nana was supposed to be Sawada's mother and Cavallone's family.

"I'm not staying there." He laughed awkwardly, running is hand through his hair. "I'm someone's roommate for awhile. No, it's not a lot of money. I'm not wasting it without thinking."

If I had to provide for myself, I doubted whether I could afford to be someone's roommate without a real job. I eyed him suspiciously, wanting to know what exactly he did for a living if it wasn't classed as a lot of money. I still didn't know much about him, but the thought of randomly bringing up through one of our conversations seemed awkward. Cavallone would probably just tell me so something to steer me off of the subject rather than answering properly.

"Wait, you're _here_?" he asked loudly. "I thought I told you to stay until I come back."

I switched the kettle on, watching with interest as Cavallone groaned to himself and loudly letting his phone clatter on to the table in front of him. "Frustrated?" I asked, purposely raising my voice so he could hear me clearly. He looked over his shoulder immediately, the surprised expression transforming into a smile that reached his eyes when he spotted me on the counter. I jumped down, smoothing my clothes. "You sounded it."

"How much of that did you hear?" His smile slowly became strained.

"Enough to hear that someone's not following your orders." It was amusing to hear that wouldn't listen to him; he was just as hopeless as I had expected all along. "Also someone's staying with your family. Why don't you go live with them again?"

He blinked. "I want to spend time with you," Cavallone proclaimed, leaning onto the top of the sofa as he looked towards me. "I doubt I would be able to speak to you like this if I didn't live here."

"That doesn't matter," I said, turning around so I wouldn't have to look at his expression as I said it. "You'll be leaving soon, you might as well get it over and done with."

"Would I be correct in saying that's why you keep pushing me away?" Maybe he wasn't as much of an idiot as I expected him to be most of the time. Though, that didn't mean he was a complete genius. "Can't you just focus on now rather than later, Kyouya?"

I didn't want to get too attached. "Don't tell me what to do," I snapped, pouring a sachet of medicine into a mug and hot water.

"It was just a suggestion," he said in his defence, "one that didn't go down well, apparently."

"Cavallone," I interrupted him before he had gotten the chance to talk again. I didn't know why I felt the need to be cynical, but it seemed to be for my amusement more than anything else at that moment. "I'm not going to see you again after you're gone."

"Why do you think that?" he asked, curiously. I leaned back onto the counter as he got up and started to walk towards me. I almost snorted when he tripped over his own feet, blushing and smiling sheepishly to try and forget about his slip up.

I raised my eyebrows in mock surprise. "Because I have no reason to."

"Oh, that hurt," he proclaimed, holding his hand over his heart for a moment. "Is there anything I can do to change your mind?"

"No," I said firmly while placing my mug onto the side again. Crossing my arms over my chest to prove that I was serious, with the right expression, too, I explained, "You're not allowed to touch me any more and I'd prefer for you to be gone from my sight." That way I was sure that I could think clearer, to be able to think about what to do rather than allowing my thoughts to move back onto him at the worst possible times. I was blaming Cavallone for why I had failed before while I had my meeting with Mukuro. He had been near whilst I was on the phone to my mother, and the only reason I was outside during that time was because of the blonde in front of me. He looked oblivious to it, though, blinking in surprise as he absorbed what I had just told him.

"Stop lying, Kyouya," he said with a laugh. "I don't believe you at all."

"You're an idiot." I shook my head.

**AN: **Sorry for the late update. I've been busy, haha. :p Same as the rest of my updates lately, this was typed on my phone while waiting for my train each day, so there's bound to be many mistakes and typos (that are actually my auto correct) that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Enjoy!


	23. Respect

**Rinneko Tsukinomori:** His thinking is usually just ramblings, so thank you for that! There is no fluff. None at all. Nada. **nightingale mistress:** Don't worry, I get people spamming me with links to the manga even though I don't have any interest in it lol. I still say Amano is stalking me! Oh yes, of course Kyouya loves anything to do with Dino. Mixed signals = story continuing in my mind. If I read a story, I give up as soon as the couple get together. I just lose interest. Oh, the scent was supposed to be more along the lines of, uh, washing powder stuff? I don't like lavender, so when I have that within washing powder I want to cry when I wear clothes! **The Red Undertaker:** Amazing what non-serious stories can do, huh? Aww, I like Mukuro. ;_; He's just there for some fun, nothing romantic at all. Not yet, no no! Dino's staying for a while! Thank you for the review!

**I don't own Kateikyoushi.**

Chapter twenty-three—Respect

Cavallone still hadn't ventured to see whoever as staying round his family's house. I was curious, still, at that point, and when I'd subtly tried to ask him in one of our conversations, he'd brushed my comment aside as though it had never happened. He was purposely ignoring me, and that was more than enough to irk me slightly. Though he was sticking to his word of keeping a distance, despite that I kept catching him glancing at me from the corner of my eye. I'd scold myself, too, when I'd catch him as I was doing the exact same thing back him. I could understand why he felt possessive at all—I was possessive over him, I'd come to notice. The feeling had been there for a while, and when I'd finally acknowledged it, it was too late to do anything about it. We were going our separate ways; he was busying himself with whatever work that had been transferred to him, whilst I was making sure to leave the apartment more than usual. Disciplining others was a way to pass time, but in the end the feeling was inevitable.

Did I think that by staying away from him, I would be able to rid myself of the feeling? At some points, I did, whilst at others I didn't _want _it to go. It felt nice to be possessive of something, especially since I had no reason to be. He wasn't a pet, nor was he a possession, and yet I was keeping track of where he was. As he shifted in the corner of my eye, pouring himself a drink, it seemed, I walked towards him without much thought.

"It's boring when you're tame," I announced, standing beside him.

Rather than being offended by my comment, Cavallone shook his head whilst smiling. "I'm just waiting for the perfect moment," he replied, not surprised by my words at all. My comment had been true, though; there had been nothing to surprise me whilst he had been minding his own business. "Just you wait, Kyouya."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm impatient," I warned.

When I ventured outside the next day, I found myself walking a familiar. It was where I'd been straying for the past few days anyway, so it didn't cause me to be too surprised that I ended up on the same pavement once again. Eyeing Sawada's house from a far, I saw there were no extra cars. I was really just feeling too impatient to find out. Maybe it was since he was purposely keeping it from me that I felt the urge for knowledge more than usual. Irked by my own thoughts, I pivoted on my heel and walked back the way I came.

There were too many things getting on my nerves. The whole ordeal with Mukuro, and the damn _scent _he'd been able to have, Cavallone withholding information, and most of all, I was annoyed with myself. But what I focused on mostly was the fact that Mukuro had been able to collect the information that he had. He wasn't anywhere near Cavallone and I where we revealed information, nor had he been within eye distance. Of course, there was a chance that I was simply turning a blind eye to an important.

Stuffing my hand into my pocket with a stubborn expression, my fingertips pressed against the top of my phone. Almost instantly I reacted and pulled the electronic device out, flipping it over and inspecting the back. I peeled the case off, looking to see if there was anything abnormal on it.

When I realised that it hadn't been tampered with at all, I shook my head in exasperation at myself. Really, I was being paranoid for no reason. There was no harm to me, nor was there to anyone I cared about. That was a complete other trail of thought, though. How many individuals could be counted as the ones I cared for?

As I murmured, "Hibird," I slowly lifted up one finger. "Cavallone." For once, there was no colour rising to my face from admitting it, let alone admitting it _aloud_. "...Me." The list wasn't very long at all. There was no way that Mukuro was going to go after a pet—a pet that preferred to be by itself, inside my home—nor an adult. "Paranoid," I told myself.

Rather than loitering around, much like the individuals that now had bruises, I choose to wipe the smirk off of my face and venture home. I felt dirtier than usual; was it because of the blood, or the fact that I had been snooping? It didn't seem honest, but then again, when was I honest? I wasn't, and others certainly knew that for a fact. I restricted the thoughts I spoke aloud, making it so most of them were either sarcastic or mocking, that way it was easy to not have to have any feeling in them. Therefore, did I seem monotonous all of the time? I'd never thought about it before, but now that it had been brought to my attention, I was curious. The closest person to me, of course, was an idiot who wasn't going to be surprised by my odd words.

So with my eyebrows furrowed, I walked into my apartment and thought about what I wanted to say. Since my mind was preoccupied, I wasn't expecting that when I'd taken off my shoes, the scent of alcohol would hit me. Did Cavallone have company, or had he been drinking all by himself? I wrinkled my nose, expecting the worst at worse, before I ventured further into the living room. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw that there were bottles, along with glasses, in front of him on the coffee table, whilst there were a fair share beside him, too, separated so it looked like there had been someone there before. He had one of his hands covering his face, so it wasn't obvious to tell whether he was intoxicated too much or not. I'd had my fair share of time dealing with drunks—namely, my mother when she'd participated in a hard show and thought she needed to wind down with her friends. I knew the routine to dealing with them, too.

"Cavallone," I called, walking closer. He didn't respond to my call as I turned his nose to the glasses, not bothering to count how many there were. "_Cavallone_," I ground out.

His head shot up almost instantly from my tone. Our eyes met before his lips curled into a wide grin, and he decided that he'd launch himself towards me. I stiffened when his arms were wrapped around me tightly; crushing me, if I had allowed him to do so. Pushing against his chest to give us some distance, he still kept on hugging me as though he hadn't seen me for weeks on end. "Kyouya," he murmured happily, repeating my name over and over. "What took you so long?"

I could smell the alcohol in his breath. "I wasn't aware I was supposed to be here."

"I wanted someone to meet you," he announced happily, talking directly into my ear. That confirmed another one of my suspicions, since there had definitely been someone there. I wanted to raise my eyebrow and ask who it was, yet I decided there was something more important first.

Even though I hadn't responded to his embrace, since my arms were down by my side, he was still continuing to hold me. "I didn't want to meet them," I lied. "Why were they here?"

"Checking upon me," Cavallone answered quickly, honestly, although there was a slight slur. "And to collect the papers I've been working on. I'm so happy they're gone!" So he happened to be an honest drunk. There was a limit to how far I could push him to tell me things, but that wasn't my concern at that moment. There was a chance that he wouldn't remember anything about this when he woke up, too, so it was worth the risk. To keep him talking, I didn't struggle against his hold. "Now I can spend more time with you."

"Why couldn't you spend time with me before?"

Humming happily, his lips were pressed against my ear. "Papers were important."

"Why?" It occurred to me that I sounded like a broken record, or a small child asking the most difficult, and repetitive, questions.

"Witness statements," he hummed, his hands falling down to grip my waist. His hold was just as tight, just lower as he was pressed against me. "Police needed them soon."

His tone was far too happy to be believable. I frowned, not sure whether his words were just drunken nonsense. "What did you do?"

"A fight got out of hand." As one of Cavallone's hands started travelling lower, I was starting to decide that waiting for information wasn't the best idea I'd had. Even though he was telling me information easily, I wasn't too keen on being manhandled too much. At least his hand was still over my clothing, though. "I made a mistake."

His words were still slurred. "What mistake?"

"Someone went to the police." As soon as he'd bitten down onto the cartilage of my ear, I decided that it had gone too far. I shoved my hands against his chest, causing him to stumble backwards before

barely managing to catch himself. He looked visibly relieved when he'd regained his balance before jutting his lower lip out. "Why must you reject me?"

"You were too close." I got all the information I wanted, I corrected myself in my head. Cavallone pouted further, settling himself down on the edge of the sofa before reaching out and taking hold of my hand. He pulled me towards him abruptly, causing me to stumble that time. Unlike him before, I wasn't able to stabilise myself in time. To hide my embarrassment, I pushed myself away from him and sat down beside him instead. As soon as I saw his grin, I snapped, "What?"

"I love you, Kyouya." He grinned wider, not attempting to move closer to me that time. I took his words as a drunken confession, rather than one that was true. Rolling my eyes, I looked off to the side rather than his idiotic grin. What else was there I wanted to know from him? He seemed willing enough to answer anything I happened to ask, as long as he was close enough to be to satisfy him.

"I see," I humoured him with a bland voice. "Why did the police need you to give in witness statements?"

"I don't work in an office." He chortled. "People were killed."

I wasn't expecting him to admit that. I blinked in surprise, inspecting his expression to see whether he was lying to me or not. From the frown that had appeared across his lips, I had to assume that he really was. But then there was the question about what he did—surely, if he had been there had caused anyone to have been injured that _badly, _he should have been in prison. He said he'd needed a vacation, time to relax; relax so he could try and wash the blood off of his hands? The most I'd done is cause someone to spend time in hospital, never far enough for them to have a funeral in their honour.

"How do you sleep at night?" I blurted out.

"Alone." Cavallone pouted, reverting to his childish state again. "I'd rather you were there." It was as though he'd completely forgotten what we'd been talking about before. "Sleep with me?" he asked, pouting still.

There were no implications behind his words, but I still had to remind myself that. I raised my eyebrow as if asking whether he was serious not, and all he did was carry on looking at me whilst pouting like a child. "You're old enough to sleep alone."

"I'll keep you warm." He smiled softly. "It's cold."

As tempting as it sounded, he was still drunk. The flushed cheeks and slurred words proved that, for sure. I thought about the offer for a few moments, mulling the idea over in my mind, before I decided that it would be easy to slip away in the morning whilst he was still asleep. Since he'd had alcohol, he was bound to fall asleep quick and then feel the consequences in the morning; enough to distract him for me to walk away. "Fine."

After he'd expressed how happy he was by tackling me again—and received the same reaction, by being pushed away—it didn't take long for him to disappear into his bedroom. I was standing at the door at that point, pondering whether I'd made the right choice or not. I didn't want to risk anything by accidentally leading him on, so I'd dug through my wardrobe to find the pyjamas that I never wore often. As soon as I'd entered the bedroom, I sighed in exasperation. Perched on the side of the bed, Cavallone was grinning happily—and innocently, for once—whilst dressed in his underwear alone. I averted my eyes whilst narrowing them, making it clear that I only wanted to sleep.

"Just get in bed," I commanded, rolling my eyes once again when his expression reverted back to being childish. I had my back down him when we were finally inside, and it seemed he'd gotten the message that nothing else was going to be going on. He kept fidgeting, though. "Stop it, Cavallone."

"Why do you call me that?" he whined, ceasing his movements. "I want to hear my first name from you."

I pressed my face further into the pillow. "You don't deserve it."

As much as I'd been trying to ignore that he was moving closer, when his hand was resting on my waist and his breath was against my ear, I couldn't any more. "Why?"

"Go to sleep," I warned, "or I'm leaving."

"Fine." He hummed, purposely staying where he was and settling down. Instead of just having his hand on my waist, he wrapped his arm around before finally ceasing to fidget. "Good night," he murmured.

My eyes were kept open as I waited for his breathing to even out, and so I could move confidently without having to be cautious about him waking up or not. Was it wrong of me to not think differently of him, even after he'd muttered those drunken statements? He didn't have the face of a killer, and I was pretty sure that he didn't have the intelligence of one neither. All I'd seen him be was an idiot—one that I'd become fond of—and embarrass himself at the worst moments. His family was completely normal, too, so that meant my conclusion was being limited down. There was a chance that he had an active imagination; by creating up imaginary scenarios in his head, he could easily block out how easily neglected he was.

Turning around so I could face him, still not irked by the arm around my waist, I brushed the bangs out of his face, furrowing my eyebrows as I inspected him. He definitely didn't have the face of a killer, I confirmed within my head.

My eyes flickered to his to see whether he was awake, before leaning down and pressing my lips against his. It was only for a second and that was enough for me before I pulled back and murmured, "You're mine, Dino," flushing when he shifted slightly in his sleep.

We were both just lonely.

When I was conscious again it was because Dino had stirred beside me, sitting up and making noise as he yawned. I blinked to try and make myself alert, relieved that I had my back to him, as I waited for him to notice me. When he finally did, his reaction was comical. "K-Kyouya?" he spluttered before wincing and clutching his head.

The duvet was covering my pyjamas, so he was probably concluding all the wrong ideas whilst his eyes darting around the room. "Noisy," I commented, stifling a yawn.

"Why are you in my bed?" Dino questioned. "And why can't I remember you ever getting here?"

It was surprisingly easy to refer to him by his first name, even more so that I had thought it would be. "You were drunk, Dino."

He didn't pick up on his name. "That explains my headache," he announced, groaning. Rather than pushing myself to make conversation with him, I slipped out of bed—making it so he could clearly see I was wearing some sort of clothing—and headed towards the kitchen to get my intake of caffeine to wake me up. By the time that I was pouring hot water into my mug, Dino had appeared from his bedroom, fully dressed. "When did you get in yesterday?"

"After your friend was gone." I didn't know what else to refer to them as—he hadn't explained whether they were family, close, or just acquaintances.

"Oh." He blinked, surprised. "I didn't say anything too bad, did I?" Dino visibly blanched as I watched with an amused expression, choosing to smirk instead of reply properly. It was more fun to watch him jump to conclusions himself, averting his eyes. "It was drunken nonsense, I swear."

"I know." I'd decided as much. "You're not a serial killer."

His expression went from anxious to incredulous within a matter of moments. "Eh?" he asked, blinking, before a laugh slipped through his lips. "I could be," Dino joked, though he still didn't look me in the eyes. "You'll never know what people are capable of."

"You'd be the victim rather than the murderer," I retorted. "I know what you're like."

He smiled, although it seemed strained. "Do you?"

As I walked towards my bedroom, I looked over my shoulder to say, "Have you sent off all of those papers to the police?" With a smirk, I'd glanced at him long enough to see surprise dominant any other of his emotions.

Whilst I was cooling down in my room after drying my hair after a shower, I realised that I hadn't been tactful about knowing the truth, no matter how warped it may have been. Dino still hadn't appeared to question my knowledge further and it was slowly getting to the point where my conscience was kicking in. Although it was a rare event, I decided to suck up any complaints that were going to be voiced within my thoughts and walk out into the hallway, listening to hear where he might have been. Walking as quietly as I could, I gnawed when I heard him mutter to someone on the other end of the phone within his room; he'd probably attempted to close the door without looking since there was a wide enough gap for me to peer through.

Instead of repeating the same mistake that I'd done when I'd listened in on him before, I made my presence known. I pushed the door, made eye contact with him for a brief moment, before leaning against the wall with my arms crossed. As soon as he'd known that I was there, he switched languages so I'd be kept in the dark, still.

With every tap of my foot and synchronised beat on my heart that passed by, I pondered about what to say. I wasn't one to outright apologise—how would I word it in the end, anyway? I'd coaxed him to talk about unwanted topics whilst he was vulnerable, and that just showed how low I would go. Would Dino do the same to me, too, if he had the chance? It wasn't right of me to do so, nor for the arrogant tone I had pointed it out in to have been there. Rather than focusing on the jargon that was coming from his mouth, the tone seemed more important. From what I could tell Dino was stressed from the way his voice had dropped and also that I couldn't hear any idiotic laughter from him. Although there were rare times when he felt the need to be serious, the way he was at that moment made me feel tense.

Have I finally crossed over the line? I asked myself, closing my eyes.

My attention was piqued when I heard him murmur my name, though. I stared at the wall across from me, tapping my fingertip against my thigh as I counted the passing seconds. As soothing as the action might have been in another situation, I was still awkwardly standing there, waiting.

"Sorry," Dino apologised as he opened the bedroom door further, holding the frame as he took in a breath. "I didn't think it would take that long."

He looked frustrated. There was a crease between his eyebrows, and it definitely wasn't flattering for his appearance. "It's none of my business."

"It is," he announced, surprisingly me for a moment. "I need to talk to you seriously, so come in."

If that wasn't a bad sign, then I didn't know what was. Dino hadn't made eye contact once since he'd spoken to me, and whilst I made myself at home by sitting down on the eye of his bed, he was running his hand through his hair rather than looking at me. I averted my eyes so I wouldn't get caught staring curiously. It was his thought for drinking too much, I decided. "Get on with it," I snapped, cringing when I realised how harsh my tone was.

There was no idiotic smile in return, no small spout of laughter or mirth within his irides. "What exactly did I tell you last night? You seem to know what I've been filling out for a while now, after all."

"Is it really that important?"

"It is," Dino confirmed, the frustration expression still on his face as he looked away from me. "I don't want to get you involved with it." He voice had dropped lower as he said that. "It's not for you."

"Why are you deciding what's good for me?" I retorted, unsure whether to push him further. He had sounded like my mother for a moment there, and it was enough to irk me. "You barely know me."

"You're right," he said, frowning, "I barely know you because you don't _let _me."

I responded sarcastically to his comment, my tone bitter. "Would you like a diary?"

"Only if it contains what I told you last night." He wasn't going to let the subject drop and it was becoming more apparent that he wasn't impressed with how I had gotten the information out of him. Although it had been obvious for a few weeks now that I was curious about him, it was low to talk to a drunkard about secrets. If anything, my actions had given him permission to do the same back to me. "I was going out of my way to hide it from you for your own good."

"Why would you have to hide it?" I raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell me what your job was."

"Then how the hell did I get to explain those papers?" That meant they were, indeed, connected to his job. Did that mean he had been fired from the fight, and therefore thought that it was time for a vacation to visit his family? Dino had said that that was his original purpose, before he'd bumped into me.

"Were you fired from your job?" I blurted out, furrowing my eyebrows. Dino looked visibly taken aback before he composed his expression, stalling by clearing his throat.

"No," he answered with a small smile. "I took a voluntary break, but I still get updates sent to me. It was a bad idea to take one."

"Then go back to it," I said with a dismissive wave of my hand. As he was surprised, again, I could feel my lips curling into a frown. That was also a dismissal from my life, wasn't it? "You said before that you're leaving soon, so why wait?"

Dino didn't brush my comment to the side as I'd expected him to. His expression turned frustrated again as he bit down onto his bottom lip. "I can't stand how you're pushing aside my feelings still." He took a step towards me before standing still, placing his hands in his pockets. "You should have figured out how I feel about you, so why are you pushing _me _away?"

"Oh, yeah." I rolled my eyes. "You did pour your heart out last night, too. Love, is it?"

Dino blinked, taking a step towards me. "I would never have thought you were a coward."

"I'm not running away," I replied blandly, although I knew that it was a lie. That's exactly what I was doing; with the feeling being one-sided, on my part, I could deal with him easily. Yet if he was going to bombard me at almost every waking moment by reminding me they weren't one-sided, I was going to pulling my hair out. I could deal with it alone.

"Do you not believe me, then?" Dino asked. He'd walked closer to me during that time meaning his knees were lightly pressing against my own as I had to look up to see his expression. "Kyouya," he murmured. I stiffened when he let one of his hands trail across my cheek before tilting my chin up to look at him more. As I frowned he continued speaking. "I've kissed you, pinned you down, and even had sex with you." Dino's cheeks were slowly becoming red. "I introduced you properly to my family, too. Why do you still doubt me?"

"You're not telling me everything," I said through narrowed eyes, jerking away from his hand so he was no longer touching me.

"That's because I can't," he explained with a strained expression. "I haven't lied to you, though. Just kept information from you."

"It's practically the same thing."

"Are you trying to say that until I've told you everything, you're not going to believe that I love you?" Dino asked sceptically. "It's supposed to be the other way around, you know. I'm supposed to tell you everything when you believe me, and when _I _want to tell you."

"So I'm not worthy of knowing?" I scowled.

"Stop twisting my words!" Dino spluttered, visibly trying to stop the blush that was creeping upon his cheeks. "The reason I've still here is for _you_. I would have gone home already if I was staying with Tsuna," he explained, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. Although it seemed that he wanted to avert his eyes, he kept a steady gaze as he looked at me. "So why are you trying to push me away? I think I deserve an answer."

"Has it crossed your mind at all that I might not want you here?" I asked bitterly, knowing that it was a lie. I wasn't comfortable with the atmosphere around us, much less the lack of distance as my knees were still pressing against him. He hadn't made any attempts to place his hands on me, though, just simply stared from above whilst trying to decipher my expression. "I'm not a riddle," I said, imagining I was talking to someone else, "I'm telling you exactly what I want."

"Even if you say that, your expressions and actions still contradict your words," Dino murmured, leaning down so we were on eye level. He steadied himself with one hand on the bed beside me. "Kyouya, tell me clearly to leave you alone, otherwise I won't get the hint."

I couldn't find the words to say when he was looking at me with that odd expression, so my mouth had become dry whilst I was searching for any sort of phrase.

It become a habit of mine to waltz into his room at night, when Dino was asleep, and slip underneath the covers. No matter how surprised he was in the morning he didn't push me for answers, and assumed that we'd come to some sort of an agreement when he wasn't aware of it. If he had wanted to question it, he was always sidetracked whenever I addressed him by his first name. Our conversations never strayed back to his occupation or about whether he was leaving or not; they were strained talks, still, and it was obvious that Dino was thinking about his words before saying them. He was going out of his way to avoid slipping up.

"Are you free tonight?" he asked a few minutes after I'd walked through the front door.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Since when do you ask about my plans?" I'd planned to meet Kuskabe to talk to him about Mukuro, finally, but it seemed that Dino wanted to disrupt that without knowing.

"I always do, you just choose to ignore me," he replied with a lopsided smile. "My friend's leaving soon and I still want you to meet them. So why don't you come with me tonight?"

"How many people will be there?"

"Seven will be the minimum, I think, and that's excluding us." He seemed bashful. "I didn't realise others had come here, too, since they were worried."

I blinked. "Worried? There's nothing to be worried about."

"They thought I might have gotten into something... strange." Dino chortled, smiling fondly. "You don't have to worry, though, they're just protective."

"It's a crowd," I murmured, rejecting him, "I'm not going."

"Oh, come on, Kyouya." Dino huffed, his expression disapproving. "It wouldn't kill you and they really want to meet you."

"That's exactly why I'm not going." I narrowed my eyes at his attitude—it wasn't welcome. "Why are you telling strangers about me?"

"They wouldn't be strangers if you came with me to meet them." He pouted. "Well, I couldn't lie about why I want to stay here for a while longer, and they chose to come to me rather than waiting around back at home."

"You make it sound as though they're your followers."

"Close enough." Dino laughed in good humour, not explaining the reason they were there any further.

He didn't push me to go with him after I'd made myself dinner, nor when I was studying; instead, he'd just smile softly whenever I caught him looking at me, or ask whether I knew what I was going to be doing. I finally caved when I couldn't concentrate any longer, placing my pen onto my desk and glaring at his relaxed position whilst he was lounging across my bed.

"Maybe we should sleep in your bed tonight," he said, amused, "it seems to be neglected lately. The duvet had no wrinkles whatsoever until I rolled on it."

"I won't be sleeping with you at all unless you leave me the hell alone," I snapped. Dino wasn't offended by my comment at all; he chose to sit himself up whilst grinning at me, patting on the mattress beside him. "Fine. I'll meet your damn friends if it means you'll stop hovering behind me like a shadow."

"I'm a bit too big to be your shadow." Dino grinned before he blinked, holding his palms out for me to see. "Not that I'm trying to say you're small..."

He really was digging himself a hole. I ignored his comment with a frown and eventually, though it had taken more than enough time to shut his mouth and keep any comments to himself, made it out into the cold night air. It was past eight o'clock by the time we'd made it outside, so the street lights were the only source to guide my way. I found myself one step ahead of Dino whilst we walked, and it was obvious from how his hand had continued to brush against mine that he was hinting at something. I told myself to endure it, though I wanted to reach out and intertwine our fingers to see whether it would have been warmer that way. Next time if I was outside with him, I needed to remind myself to bring a pair of gloves.

"How long do you think this will take?" I asked, more interested in how I could see my breath rather than his answer. There wasn't really a need to make conversation, I knew that it was going to last longer than I wanted, I was just uncomfortable with how quiet it was without him making idiotic conversation. "This may not be worth my time, Dino."

"Well if you feel the need to become violent, I'm sure someone will be more than willing to fight you," Dino announced without explaining further. Were his friends all violent people, too, that carried weapons around with them? Even though my own choice was an odd one, Dino's was worse than mine. He could hardly claim that he was learning a martial art and therefore needed to have a whip on him for when he felt the need to practice; the best excuse he could use was that he was a lost cowboy. Unfortunately for him, a cowboy hat didn't suit him within my imagination.

I raised my eyebrows in amusement. "Would you be upset if I injured them?" I asked with a smirk.

Dino look over his shoulders whilst shrugging, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips. "If you were able to, that would probably impress me. Don't forget how easily you lost to me before."

"I tripped," I murmured as we turned a corner. We were standing outside Sawada's house within no time, and we'd stood before the entrance just as I was willing the blood to drain from my face. "I'm not being nice to your cousin just because of you."

"I'm not asking you to." Dino chortled, obviously surprised by my comment. "It's good for Tsuna, anyway. I was just like him when I was that age."

Although he was a fumbling idiot at some points, I could never imagine him as bad as his cousin. He didn't make high pitched noises instead of pronouncing actual words, nor did he find it hard to express what he was thinking, in some situations more than others. "I doubt that." My eyebrow became arched. "Although you're an idiot, I don't think you were ever that bad."

"That was a very weird way of giving me a compliment, you know," Dino joked, lightly pressing his elbow into my side. "Don't be shy, now."

I returned his jab with more force. "I was still insulting you, herbivore."

"If you say so," Dino hummed, placing his hands behind his head. "Are you ready? You best have your smiling face on."

"And why would I need to smile?"

"You're going to learn the secrets of the world." He grinned.

**AN: **I promise to have a longer chapter next time, if anyone's actually reading this.


	24. Temptation

**Hidden in Sunlight: **Updates are very slow lately, I know. **ZirciX: **Thank you for reading this and catching up, then. I don't read the manga, though. I just pick random characters and include them. **ExtremeBoss: **Thank you! I've never actually had anyone recommend me before, haha. **Rinneko Tsukinomori: **Honest drunks are the best! (My brother is one.) This chapter is the size of two, really. **asdfghjkl: **Thanks! **mew mew panda-chan: **Thank you. **axe****lluver300:** Thank you! Yep, calling him by his name. **Ciaou: **Thank you! There is a lact of D18 stories. I look in the archive and just find my own. **The Red Undertaker: **lmao, Mukuro's just an idiot. Thank you! **miawpyon: **What promise was that? I have a bad memory, ahaha. **Aimeeshiifan: **Thank you! (I see what you did with your name, aha.) **Pen E Forthotz: **Thank you for the review. **Paradoxismminant:** What's up, Tutu? Yep, secrets! **Takoizumegane: **Sorry for the long wait. I'm just lazy. **defy(dot)mrt: **I actually thought your review was sarcastic at first lol. All the bits you've complimented are what I hate the most. (Apart from the newer chapters, the rest of this story was just to piss off a friend. I purposely wrote everything she hated and cliché stuff.) Thank you ever so much, though. It means a lot. **twovoice: **Thanks! **Jennifer Lee: **Thank you! **FanGurrl101: **Thank you! Late updates, always. **nightingale mistress: **I know, right? It's creepy! I actually drop a story as soon as the characters get together lol. Thank you! **JayJayXiao: **Thanks. **Sollux Vantas: **Thank you! Different? Different because... it was a troll story? Ahaha. Thank you for the compliment! Blush away, Sollux. **Luri: **Thank you for writing such a lovely review! It made me smile. **Fran-anisca Grave: **Ahahaha, I'm not a die hard fan at all. I hate Kateiykoushi. I just like Dino, Kyouya and Bluebell, so I make use of them. C: Yes, there is a lemon in this chapter. Thank you for the review! **JayJayXiao: **Calm down, boy.

_家庭教師ヒットマン _REBORN! © _天野明_

Chapter twenty-four—Temptation

Just as I was about to knock on the door, I paused. "Kyouya," I called, turning around to face him with a neutral expression. I was expecting the worst; the worst there was to imagine. He was going to find out all about me, about what I did for a living and understand, I hoped, what went through my mind. I had risked my chances in the past and allowed the truth to be told and it had never granted me any good experiences but bad ones, mostly.

He eyed me suspiciously but thankfully stopped.

"Will you allow me to be selfish?" I asked, taking in his expression before adding, "just for a moment, please."

Kyouya's expression didn't change, but he didn't make shift his position to move anywhere. I took his silence as confirmation and leaned down to his level, looking into his eyes and trailing one of my hands tentatively over his jawbone. Surprise flickered within his irides as he could clearly feel my breath on him, and yet he didn't reject me as I softly pressed our lips together. The kiss wasn't fast or aggressive as I wasn't pushing myself upon him; rather, I was looking for an answer. I wanted to know whether he trusted me without having to ask, to know whether I was going to be able to kiss him again after. He had tensed at first, but as soon as he realised that I wasn't pushing to deepen the kiss and allowing it to be innocent, he was slowly easing up.

He was even leaning into me, our chests almost pressing against each other whilst I continued to cautiously stroke his cheek, making sure to keep the kiss going. If he wasn't rejecting me, I wasn't going to retreat. I'd already said I wanted a selfish moment and by far, I was having one. He was all I wanted at that moment—and for many moments to come—and I couldn't have cared less about introducing him to the people I knew. Staying on the porch and having him within my personal bubble would have been far better.

I murmured his name under my breath, adding more pressure against his lips. Although the talking wasn't returned, the action was and by hearing his sharp intake of breath, I smiled softly. Certainly, I would have traded any of our previous kisses for the one we were sharing then. It meant a lot more. It couldn't have been one-sided, not any more.

"Kyouya," I breathed, feeling a swell of hope, "I—"

I was cut off before I could even begin. "We leave you for a month and you've already got your tongue down another girl's throat?"

The voice caused me to pull away and look over my shoulder, still with my hand caressing Kyouya's cheek. "Look a bit closer." I rolled my eyes, the corner of my lips already curling into a smile. "And thanks for giving me a bad reputation, Pantera." I had slipped back to my native tongue automatically, thankful that Pantera had started the conversation so Kyouya couldn't understand it. Without a doubt, he would've been angrier if he'd heard that his gender had been mistaken.

As soon as the words were out, Kyouya smacked my hand away and then pushed me back. A flicker of surprise crossed his expression as he saw me recover rather than fall over, and my answer was to smile with confidence.

"A student?" she observed. "My, you really have changed, Boss."

"I haven't changed." I shot her a teasing glare, smoothing any wrinkles my clothing might have had. "You've just missed me, that's all."

"I thought you had a thing for large breasts." She raised a thin dark eyebrow, giving Kyouya a once over before pivoting on her heel and walking inside. Pantera didn't look over her shoulder as she switched languages so Kyouya could clearly understand. "Nana's gone out with a friend. We're alone."

"Could you please stop trying to meddle already?" I asked, switching back as well. I shot a worried glance over my shoulder, but Kyouya was glancing through the bay window to see who was seated in the living room. As he grimaced, I grinned in recognition.

"I'll leave the meddling up to someone else, then, Boss." She laughed. Her bare feet glided soundlessly across the oak floorboards as she entered the living room, plopping down on the sofa next to someone else I smiled to see. I should have known that Pantera would not have come alone; she always had another girl attached to her hip. She said it was since it made her more secure, or since happened to rip her dress most of the time and needed someone to sew it up for her. Pantera wasn't one to stick to the normal unannounced dress code, instead wearing fancy dresses that must have cost a fortune.

"I thought you hated me, Bianchi," I commented, leaning against the door frame. My aim was to block their view for as long as I could, just so Kyouya could get accustomed to the atmosphere and how many people there were without becoming snappy.

"Oh, I do," she said coolly, her eyes slightly narrowed, "but your reasons for staying here any longer make no sense. Our alliances are weakening because of this, idiot."

"Probably not," I lied through my teeth, knowing how selfish I had become, "maybe they'll realise that I have a life, too."

"Your life is running this _famiglia_." Bianchi scoffed, breaking eye contact as she was obviously frustrated.

"She's right," Pantera pitched in. "You're making it easier for us to be killed just because you've got some winter romance going on."

"Winter romance?" one of the men on the other sofa questioned, bursting into laughter immediately along with another male beside him. My cheeks warmed instantly and I prayed, silently, that Kyouya wasn't going to announce his arrival at that moment. I was shutting him out, keeping him in the dark as he stood just to the side hidden behind the wall. Although I had said he'd received answers, I never promised that they would be directly. He was smart enough to realise we were lightly talking about something serious. "Boss, you left us with your last conquest. She was screaming bloody murder for a few weeks."

My gaze shifted to Romario, silently accusing him of not informing me of it more openly. I wanted to soothe Kyouya that it was nothing serious, but that would've given him away. Pantera hadn't mentioned his presence yet; at least, not directly.

"Maybe I got fed up with Italian women," I snapped at Brutus, irritation coming naturally. They were digging me a hole without realising it. "None of them were serious."

"They were serious about wanting your money, that's about it." Pantera laughed, covering her mouth innocently with her hand. "Poor Boss, it's just like you had prostitutes all this time."

If it wasn't for the fact that she was female, I would have done more than narrow my eyes and jut my lower lip out. "You wound me," I proclaimed, mockingly holding my heart. "Prostitutes are found on street corners, not in clubs and at functions."

"I believe we're going off topic," Bono, the male beside Brutus, announced loudly. "What's this winter romance business? I'm not in this country just because of a bit of ass, am I?"

"Watch your words," I snapped, glowering as I could see Kyouya tense in my peripheral vision. He wasn't happy with the direction of the conversation. Slipping back to my native tongue I added, "You don't have the right to refer to him like that."

Bono was taken aback before he dropped his head apologetically. The curve of my lips was still disapproving as Pantera said, "_Him_," whilst staring at me, dumbfounded.

I nodded in conformation.

She shot to her feet, jabbing her finger into my chest. "You mean we've been putting up with countless women for years just because you were _unsure_?" She'd reverted back to Japanese. Pushing past me, Pantera stood almost nose to nose with Kyouya. His expression would have seemed surprisingly neutral to anyone new, but I could see how irritated he was from not only the stance, but the curve of his brow. "I thought you just had short hair and cold legs."

They were almost the same height despite the fact that Pantera was in her early twenties.

"If you were intelligent you would have realised I was male," he replied lowly. It was obvious that he was trying his best to hold back the irritation from his voice, but some still leaked in.

Well, there wasn't going to be a better time to introduce them. I ran a hand through my hair, weighing my options as I said loudly, "Kyouya, please don't attack them yet. You don't even know their names." The suspicious stares that were directed at me surely were saying something along the lines of he didn't need to know their names to attack them, even if it was more polite that way. "Can you two stop having a face off and break it up?"

"You don't have the right to order me around, Cavallone." He was back to last name basis and that alone made me realise I'd chosen the wrong choice. I should have chastised Pantera instead of him, clearly.

"I'm not ordering you, Kyouya," I answered, fully aware that we'd caught everyone's attention, "I'm merely suggesting you don't start fighting with a girl."

Brutus jumped in before he could reply properly, but thankfully he was still sitting down on the sofa. "You found someone that talks back to you? That's a first."

"It's no longer like you having a puppy licking you all of the time," Bianchi murmured, quietly enough that I'd only just got it.

"Very funny, guys." I rolled my eyes, still dreading what they were going to say next. It was Bianchi's favourite game to ruin whatever I had going for me, and if Bianchi was in, then Pantera was, too. They tag teamed at the worst times and from the flicker in their eyes, it was one of those times. "Pantera, sit back down already."

"Yes, Boss," she obeyed sarcastically.

"Well, thank you for ruining my surprise as well." I shot her a disapproving look. "I wanted him to be _incognito_ for a bit, but it didn't really happen." Shuffling into the room, I was waiting for Kyouya to appear in the doorway. But, of course, he didn't and stayed firmly where he was out of sight. "Kyouya," I called.

"I've already seen you two playing tonsil tennis, it doesn't really matter any more," Pantera butted in.

"You're the one that—_Hey_!" I interrupted myself, groaning lightly in pain. Kyouya had taken it upon himself to kick me harshly in the shin, shutting me up in the process. "Was that really necessary?" I questioned, sucking in a breath through my teeth to deal with the stinging sensation. He was definitely not pleased, and Pantera's comment hadn't helped at all. "I was just being selfish back there, Pantera."

"And that's supposed to mean what, Boss?"

She was going to make me say it aloud. I flushed irrevocably, only just noticing that Kyouya was smirking beside me. He was still behind the wall, only having come closer to kick me. "That means I get rejected on regular occasions."

"That's a new record for you." Bianchi smirked, leaning against the arm of the chair and meeting my eyes. "Isn't it normally the other way around?"

She and Pantera were out to get me as some sort of revenge tactic. They probably saw their task easy in their minds; they needed to convince Kyouya I was a womaniser, end anything we had going on between us, so I could get my business head back on. It was refreshing to be selfish, of course, but it really had gone on too long. I was turning back into the irresponsible child again, the one that I hadn't been able to become for years on end.

"I get it. Everyone's frustrated and I'm reverting back into a child," I admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of my neck, "but there's a reason I dragged Kyouya along. I want him to know."

"Know that you're an idiot? Already covered."

I shot Pantera a look to shut up, and she seemed to understand it that. She pursed her lips, frowning only ever so slightly. There had been many scenarios going through head about how I'd tell him what I ran and was involved in, but none had ever contained Pantera and Bianchi. If I had known they were both coming, I would have had second thoughts about my choices. They had always done their best to keep what was going on under wraps so anyone I was dating didn't catch wind of it.

"He's already seen anything you've sent over to me. I wasn't paying enough attention and he found out, so..."

"You want to spill everything because you let him see police papers? You're being too hopeful, Dino," Bianchi chastised. I grimaced at the language swap and the use of my name. That meant she was serious at that moment, and wasn't going to let my position get in the way of what she was trying to say. "You're being too irresponsible."

I answered back so Kyouya couldn't understand as well. "Actually, Bianchi, I'm being responsible and letting him know everything. I trust him and want to keep him around."

"When has it ever worked between you and someone who knew you were a murderer?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Her question, which was supposed to be rhetorical, was a stab at how well I was doing. "All those deaths were accidents," I corrected her, my tone even. "I've never once ordered someone dead."

"Oh, just into the hospital." She scowled, still not convinced what I thought was best really was good for us. "And how will you handle him knowing all this useless information when you're back in Italy? He's going to remember it for no reason." I hadn't given much thought to how he would have taken the information when I was gone, so I couldn't answer her. When Bianchi saw this, though, she scowled even more and let her eyes travel over to Romario.

As my right hand man, he had more of a say in my decision than anyone else. He'd also heard more about it than the others, so I tried to keep my face neutral as everyone shifted their attention to him.

"It's Boss' decision, not mine." He shrugged his shoulders, shifting the conversation back so Kyouya could understand us.

"Well, please do explain." I grinned, gesturing for Kyouya to come forward.

I had been expecting the worst. Of course, Bianchi and Pantera were backtracking and trying to see whether the rest were going to admit what was happening, and adding in a few jokes at my expense. Kyouya was staying oddly quiet through it all, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He wasn't replying to any of the questions, so whoever was speaking just carried on after an awkward silence. The words were still dying in my throat as I thought of how to word them, so Romario was explaining most of it.

"So," Kyouya finally spoke, his tone unidentifiable, "you expect me to believe that this idiot is the boss of an Italian Mafia group?"

"Pretty much," I answered, smiling sheepishly.

"Then why are you here, Cavallone?" he asked with a distasteful tone. His expression wasn't lessening the fact that I was abandoning my duties, it was only making me realise it even more. "You should be doing your job."

"I've told you before, I'm here for Tsuna."

"_Were_," he corrected me, scowling. "You spend more time with me than with him nowadays."

I smiled. "There's your question answered, then."

"Don't blame your irresponsible behaviour on me," he warned, shoving one of his hands into his pocket. For a moment a flicker of doubt flickered within his expression before it was gone, the evasion mask back up. He wasn't going to explain what he was thinking—he never did. If I had thought we were getting closer, he'd take us back two steps before by being a recluse. I'd been on my best behaviour around him, too, not pushing any further than being able to sleep next him, save for the kiss on the porch. "Go back to your home."

We were back to him rejecting me, apparently. I couldn't help but flush as I heard a few trying to stifle their laughter, only a few guffaws sounding.

"You picked a keeper, Boss." Michael laughed.

Pantera smirked, shooting Kyouya an approving glance. "He knows what's best for you, it seems. Why don't you listen for the first time in your life?"

"Mock me any more and I'll no longer put you on missions, Pantera," I threatened, half joking. The threat was enough for her to shut her mouth, humour reflected in her eyes as Bianchi teased her. "Great, now that's all out in the open..." I trailed off.

"You want to leave to get back to your winter romance?"

"Thanks to you guys I don't think there's going to be any romance, actually," I replied, trying to ignore the glare Kyouya sent my way. My reply probably didn't help my case, but that wasn't my problem at that moment. I grinned at Romario who had a small smile himself; he knew more than enough about Kyouya without meeting him. Romario hadn't looked surprised at all about his attitude as I'd tried to explain clearly enough whenever we had spoken to each other. "Anything else anyone wants to add?"

Kyouya was the one to cut in, leaning his head back to stare at me. "Does your cousin know all of this?"

"My aunt does," I confirmed, "but Tsuna's oblivious since he's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box."

He raised an eyebrow, suspicious. "Surely he's visited you in Italy?"

"Of course, mostly when my parents were still alive, though." I could count on one hand the amount of times Tsuna had visited ever since. "He just thinks I'm rich and irresponsible, really."

"Don't try and win him over with money," Bianchi murmured, only loud enough so I barely caught it.

"Very funny." I rolled my eyes. "As I was saying, Tsuna doesn't know, no."

Kyouya pursed his lips in response, not replying verbally. He avoided my eyes after that as more jokes were thrown around, and I kept glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. Even though there were a lot of people in the room, he wasn't reacting violently at all; rather, he was subdued and neutral, only speaking when it was completely necessary.

"Nana's going to be back soon, right?" I asked Pantera, looking for confirmation. "...Is Tsuna sleeping or something?" I questioned, finally, only just realising that I didn't know his whereabouts.

"He's staying at his friend's house, I think."

"I see." I hummed. "I'm guessing not everyone is staying here, though? There can't be enough space. There's just one guest room."

"We're sharing it," Bianchi and Pantera said at the same time, smiling smugly.

"Good luck getting to a hotel, everyone else." I laughed, glancing down at my phone to see how late it was. "We're," I said, gesturing between Kyouya and I, "taking our leave now, so don't bother me unless it's something important."

"Boss," Romario called, his moustache crinkling with his smile, "your car is here, so pick it up whenever you want."

I could have kissed him. I was fed up with having to stay close so I didn't get lost and walking everywhere—the taxis weren't ever that polite, so I had been avoiding them as much as possible. "I love you, Romario." I laughed, knowing full well which car he was talking about. "I'll probably come by tomorrow."

We left soon after that and Kyouya was back to being quiet as we walked. He had his arms crossed over his chest from the weather, and I knew that if offering my coat wouldn't have meant I had painful injuries, I would have done so. When the silence was getting awkward, when we were almost at the apartment complex, I gently elbowed his arm to get his attention. His reaction was to frown and take a step away, not acknowledging me more than that. I laughed to myself at his attitude. Whether I had been expecting a different reaction or not was out of the question—he was back to being secretive and quiet.

As I opened the door and allowed him to go in first, I asked, "Are you going to say anything at all?"

"What's there to say?" he asked, the question rhetorical. He looked straight ahead as he ascended the stairs, talking so only we could hear and he wouldn't disturb the other tenants. "You've done enough."

He sounded angry. I furrowed my eyebrows, walking at a quicker pace to lightly catch onto his elbow. He didn't resist. "Then why do you sound so irritated?" I questioned. "You said I had to be honest with you so you'd believe I love you, so I have."

"You told them unnecessary details," he proclaimed, turning his head to narrow his eyes at me. "I don't care how close you are with them; they didn't need to know."

I blinked. "Are you, by any chance, embarrassed?"

"No." He quickly pulled away from my grasp, unlocking the door and walking inside without so much as answering more or looking over his shoulder. Just as he'd arranged his shoes and started to walk off I let out a small laugh—I'd caught the light tint of pink along his cheeks as he'd denied it.

"I didn't know Pantera would come out," I called out to him, taking my time. "How was I supposed to know? I didn't even hear the door unlock. You can't put the blame solely on me."

"It's _my _fault that you kissed me?" From where his voice was coming from, I assumed he was in the bathroom. The sound of running water came a moment later and he didn't add on, so I guessed he was brushing his teeth. It was late in the night, after all, and he wasn't the type to skip out on sleep without a damn good reason.

"Did I say that?" I asked, smiling to myself as I got a glass of water. "How about it's both of our faults?"

"No," he denied, coming out and walking to his bedroom. "It's yours. Don't come near me again, Cavallone." By slamming the door shut, it seemed that Kyouya thought that was the end of the conversation.

I knocked on the door, opening it not a moment after. "We're back to last name basis?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at his frustrated expression. "Come on, Kyouya, I finally thought you liked me."

"No," he answered immediately, placing his jacket on the chair, "now get out of my room."

"Is this some sort of punishment?"

He scowled at my interpretation. "I don't want to sleep with you."

"See, that's a punishment," I insisted, taking my chances are walking further into the room whilst trying not the think of another way to interpret his answer. I needed to keep my head out of the gutter, clearly, if I wanted to seem in control and not put any strain between us. By just kissing him in front of someone else, Kyouya was pushing me away again. As he scowled at me, I settled down on the end of the bed with a sheepish smile across my lips. "Am I supposed to hug a pillow instead of you?"

"Please do." His next action meant that he was either comfortable in my presence or trying to tempt me as revenge—I chose the latter. As Kyouya started to undo the buttons of his shirt, I fell back onto his mattress so I was staring at the ceiling instead of him, purposely avoiding temptation. As much as I wanted to hum to ignore the rustling of his clothing, it seemed too childish of a thought. He was taking his time with undressing, dragging it out; or, rather, that was how it seemed as I swallowed to distract myself.

I didn't want to mess up our relationship again. It was always one step forward and two steps back with him, and it was slowly becoming obvious that I should have been worried about him being bipolar.

My vision was soon covered in white. I tried to hide my smile as I pulled the shirt off of me, still resisting looking up as Kyouya continued to change. He was definitely trying to get some sort of revenge, and I wasn't going to have any of it, even if it meant I was frustrated. "Are you finished now?" I asked, not being able to mask the amusement in my thoughts. I balled up his shirt in my hand and then tried to throw it back at him blindly. From the noise that was produced, it seemed that it had hit his wardrobe.

"Why are you still here?"

"Why would I leave you alone when you're irritated?" I asked, still staring above me. "That would be horrible."

"Everyone else does so take a page out of their book," he answered dismissively.

Despite his harsh words, I smiled to myself. "When have I ever treated you how everyone else does?" And how I've treated others? I added in my head. He was just a special case—a stubborn one. "I'm not the type to just leave you alone. I like you far too much for that."

"Stop confessing whenever you deem it necessary." I half expected him to throw something else at me, so when he opened a drawer most likely to get his pyjamas out. From the first night he'd shared the bed with me, he made sure to be clothed so there wouldn't be any added temptation, and it seemed he was sticking to that after teasing me nonchalantly. "It's getting old fast."

A chuckle escaped my lips. "Is it?" I hadn't said as much as I'd wanted to. Even if I wanted to chant it under my breath whenever he was close, Kyouya would've pushed me away even more if I did. "I guess I'll have to change my wording, then."

"Don't you dare," he threatened quietly, his words almost covered by the rustling of clothing, "just keep it to yourself, Cavallone."

"Why would I do that?" I laughed, still, knowing full well that he was covering up his embarrassment with threats. It was one of his favourite techniques; in the beginning, I would not have known and truly thought he was threatening me. I knew him too well at that point in time, if he was trying to push me away this far into our relationship, I wasn't going to go along with his half-hearted wishes. "Your reactions just make me want to tell you over and over."

"Masochist," he accused, sounding closer than before. I leaned forward to see him standing in front of me and grinned. "Get off my bed so I can sleep."

"Fine, fine," I said, pushing myself off and allowing him to climb into it. Kyouya purposely had his back turned to me as I started to undress.

Apparently he hadn't expected for me to do that, though. As soon as my shirt hit the floor, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I hummed, fiddling with my belt. "I'm not going to let you sleep alone, especially whilst you're annoyed."

"I don't want to sleep with you."

After draping my trousers and sock over his chair's seat and turning the light off with a soft click, I pulled the duvet back to get in as well. The bed was only a single, so there wasn't much space between us and with Kyouya shuffled into the corner and clutching onto the edge of the covers, it didn't exactly feel welcoming. "I'm just sleeping _beside _you."

"For about five minutes before you wrap your arms around me," Kyouya protested, elbowing me sharply in the ribs. "Why won't you listen to me?"

One reason was enough to justify how persistent I was being. "Did you know your ears are red?"

In the morning he was still being stubborn. Rather than waking me up in a normal way, I regained consciousness just as he kicked me off of the mattress and onto the floor so he could get out. As frustrated as I felt first thing in the morning, just as much as when I had been trying to sleep next to him _innocently_, I tried to subdue the feelings and carry on normally.

Kyouya wasn't bothered. He continued to get ready and leave the apartment and soon as possible, claiming he had important things to get to. As did I, but I announced that to the silent hallway before leaving. I still couldn't get used to how quickly he left when something was deemed worth his time. His attention was constantly somewhere else, and it frustrated me to no end. Whenever I had some sort of work to do or form to fill out, he distracted me without knowing it. Even if I didn't see him in my peripheral vision, thoughts still popped into my head. I wanted to know what occupied him all of the time, what relationships he had with other people, too. From what I could tell he didn't have that many friends; just subordinates, as he'd said before. Tsuna wasn't remotely close to a friend—he was petrified of Kyouya, after all.

I needed to keep him out of my thoughts, at least for a few hours so I could think correctly.

When my phone buzzed within my pocket I answered immediately. "I'm on my way over now," I said, slipping on my shoes in reassurance. "Just give me fifteen minutes."

"All right, but Bianchi's going to have your head for this." Romario chuckled, not surprised.

I groaned softly. "I already gathered that much."

Maybe I'd been walking faster than I'd expected as it only took me ten minutes to make it to my aunt's house. She greeted me happily with a kiss on the cheek, ushering me inside and placing me within the living room with Romario and Bianchi. They were the only two there as they were the ones I trusted most—everyone else hadn't exactly been invited over, but they'd decided to show up anyway. I offered Bianchi a soft smile and got a frown of disapproval in return.

"Before you say anything, I am alone," I cut in.

"Good. We need to talk seriously," answered Bianchi, crossing her arms over her breasts.

Nana came in just after that, offering me a hot beverage and then winking at my curious glance. "Don't worry; Tsuna's visiting his friend again. It's safe to talk here."

"Thanks, Nana." I smiled.

As soon as she'd disappeared, I was left to face the consequences of my spontaneous break. Having the boss being away from anything was never a good idea, let alone in a different country and in a different time zone. I ran my fingers through my hair, wondering how I could make it work at all. I needed to stop being selfish and nip the problem in the butt by going home. I just needed to pack my bag, hand over the rent money and be on my merry way. Kyouya was the only one stopping me, and he himself was telling me to leave, so there was no hope whatsoever. There was no choice in the matter; I had to go and remember my position and suck it up.

"I know," I answered my thoughts, and the two in front of me at the same time, "I know I have to go back. I've been ridiculous."

"There's an important event next week. We _can't _risk sending Romario or I, you know more than us. You've got the connections, not us."

"Okay," I agreed, reluctance clear in my voice. She hadn't lied at all—my dad had taught me all I had needed growing up. Even if Romario had been by his side whilst I was too young, there were details that had been passed down to me that he didn't know. "I get it. When do I have to leave?"

"As much as I want to say whenever you want to, the latest has to be by next Thursday. It's Friday evening when you have to leave—it's a function, you have to just smile and bear it."

One of my worst nightmares. "A function where I have to bring a date, am I correct?"

"Well, you have two lovely ladies that work for you." Bianchi raised an eyebrow, leaning forward so her elbow was resting on her knee, chin on hand. "If that doesn't please you, you'll just have to get another conquest—a female one, Boss. You can't jeopardise your position especially after this absence."

"I understand," I grumbled, falling back into the sofa and staring up above me. "We need this, right?"

"We do," Romario confirmed.

"I'll leave Thursday, I promise," I vowed, "no one will realise I'm jet-lagged."

"They better not. Sometimes our deals just have to depend on your pretty face." Bianchi sighed, not pleased with that piece of information.

I smiled despite myself. "Was that a compliment, Bianchi?" There had never been anything between the two of us, but that didn't stop the teasing relationship we shared. Ever since she first became part of our _famiglia _she had a strong personality and didn't mind flicking her purple hair over her shoulder in harsh situations. She was surprisingly down to Earth, and that was what I needed.

She grimaced. "Definitely not, Boss."

After that pleasant talk, there were only a few more things that we had to go over. They always revolved around work—either about what there was going to be in the future or how some were slacking just because I was away. Despite the fact they were slacking, it seemed I was enough of an authoritative figure to make them work when I was there. A few had taken my personality for granted in the past, and that had never ended peacefully. When the talk was done and everyone was slouching back into their seats, I just about wanted to tear my hair out. Of course, I had been expecting a lot to worry about, but realising how much had suffered in a matter of a few weeks was ridiculous. As I ran my hand through my hair with a stray thought that I was slowly going to become bald at the rate I was going, Romario decided to surprise me.

"Here, Boss," he said, extending his clenched hand towards me. I answered by thrusting mine forward, surprise flickering within my irides as keys landed on my palm. "I told you your car is here, didn't I?"

"Where have you hidden it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bianchi rolled her eyes. "How on Earth would you be able to hide that? It's in the street beside this and as ostentatious as usual, idiot."

A laugh left my lips from imagining how much it stood out. "I seriously love you, Romario."

"Save your love for someone else," he suggested with a ruthful smile, "Lord knows you'll need it when you tell him you have to leave."

"Expect me back with more than a few bruises," I said, smiling still.

Bianchi was right about the car standing out. The red stood out beside the white walls surrounding the houses and even more so against the pavement. At least there weren't any bystanders on the pavement with enquiring stares. I was free to slip into the front seat and swiftly turn the engine on. I hadn't thought it was necessary to have a car sent over, but Romario always thought of everything. He overthought things, really. The only problem I encountered was parking—in the end I found a series of parking spaces beside the apartment complex which had allocated areas. I'd probably taken his mother's spot.

When I walked into the apartment and heard noises from the kitchen, I was surprised. Kyouya was busy ignoring my presence and continuing to cook whatever it is he had started without so much as battering an eyelid at me.

"What are you making?" I asked, hovering behind him and resisting the urge to wrap my arms around his waist.

He hummed in return, supplying no more information than that.

"You don't normally cook," I commented, knowing full well that he preferred to quickly make instant food instead. Seeing him in the kitchen by the stove wasn't an image I was used to. We usually ate alone as well. I made my meals, he made his, and we didn't push it any further than that. My cooking skills weren't up to scratch to attempt to impress him with, so I never invited him to have dinner with me and eating out would have surely become boring after the first time. "Have you run out of instant noodles or something?"

"I don't eat instant food all of the time, it's bad for you," Kyouya replied, stirring his food.

"You're right about that," I agreed, peering over his shoulder. He wasn't tensing up from our close contact, not like in the beginning. "Are you staying in tonight?"

"No." He switched off the gas, extinguishing the flame and then grabbing a plate. "I have something important to do, so don't think of trying to bribe me to stay with you."

A laugh escaped my lips. "Do you think I'd do that?"

"I know you, Cavallone."

"That's a good thing, then," I replied happily, leaning towards him as he walked past. I placed a soft kiss on his temple as he scowled before moving back, holding my hands up in surrender. "That's a kiss everyone gets, even from their parents, so you can't tell me off."

He frowned, settling down at the table. "I'm not from an affectionate family."

"Do you know when your mom's coming back, by the way?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows whilst thinking of how to bring up the topic of leaving. If she was coming back soon, that would've made it easier to say than knowing full well that I was leaving him alone. I didn't know how many times he'd been left by himself in an empty home, but I knew from experience that it wasn't a nice feeling. Even though it was easier to sing loudly and not have anyone listen, it was still empty in the end. "I have been here for more than a while."

"She won't be back for a few months more, probably."

I blinked in surprise. "Did she contact you?"

Kyouya shook his head, chewing a mouthful of food. After he swallowed, he said, "I just know from experience."

The topic was a sensitive one. Kyouya never responded positively when I mentioned his mother—and I had to assume his dad was out of the picture, as I'd never seen any evidence of him anywhere—and tried to brush the subject away as quickly as possible. Even if he was comfortable with me, he didn't want to mention topics about his personal life.

"Kyouya," I started slowly, wanting to touch a subject that had been on my mind for a while. "Why aren't you in high school?"

"Do you need to know?" he asked, finishing his food and walking to the dishwasher.

"I'm just worried for you," I admitted sheepishly. He wasn't the same age as Tsuna. He should have been in a different school, acting his age. "You shouldn't be in middle school still."

"I already have a mother, I don't need you to nag me," he protested.

"Your mother isn't here," I defended myself. "You obviously already know all the material you're learning, if you even go to lessons, that is, so you're just wasting a year." It took me a moment to remember the school system in Japan. "No, you _have _wasted a year."

Kyouya scowled, disapproving of this conversational topic more than the last. "I don't need _you _to tell me that."

"I'm probably sounding like a nag, right? But I'm just thinking of you. It won't look good if you've willingly repeated a year."

"I'm not repeating anything—I'm doing whatever I like."

"You're not old enough to do that." I didn't flinch when I could see that he was becoming visibly irritated, clenching one of his hands in frustration by his side. Over his shoulder Kyouya shot me a look of pure loathing and for a moment, I almost believed it. "I know I don't get a say in what you're going to do with your life, but I should be allowed to be worried for you."

"You have to right to be worried about me," he announced angrily. "You'll be out of my life soon and that will be it. I don't need _you _pretending to care right now or in the future."

It seemed the topic had somehow shifted back and was allowing me to blurt out that I was going to leave whenever I wanted to. I couldn't get the words out, though. They died in my throat as I saw him glaring at me, his hair covering half of his expression and restricting how well I could tell whether he was truly serious or not.

"I _do _care. Now is not the time to think my feelings are half-hearted again," I replied testily, trying not to let him rile me up. "Kyouya, even though you're as stubborn as a mule, I love you."

"And what do you want me to say in response?" he spat, my words not having the calming effect that I had anticipated. I only just resist running my hand through my hair, trying to think of how to change the atmosphere. He walked right up to me, our chests almost touching, as he looked at me in anger. "You shouldn't concern yourself with me. It's useless."

"Are you saying my love is useless, too?" I smiled despite myself. His eye twitched ever so slightly in response—he wasn't pleased that I wasn't getting offended and just taking his comments on the chin. "I don't have the most tact, but I'm not lying to you."

"Stop it," he demanded. "I don't want to hear it."

"I love you."

"I said I _don't _want to hear it," he stressed, not meeting my eyes. I wasn't going to push him any further. It would've been rude to and I wanted him to take the initiative, if that was ever going to happen. "Get out, Cavallone."

"I believe you're the one going out," I pointed out, trying not to sound too stuck up. Apparently, it didn't work to well—my words only caused him to frown further. "I'll still be here when you get back, though."

Kyouya disappeared after that with a huff of irritation and then took his sweet time with coming back. It was like that for the next few days as well. I spent my time either doing what I pleased or buckling down and trying to sort out the business side of being a boss. Bianchi had travelled back to Italy, along with most of the others, leaving just Romario in my aunt's house and there to talk with. Even though he still pushed me, it was more refreshing for it to be just the two of us, rather than having Bianchi becoming frustrated from my lack of responsibilities. Three days had past and I hadn't found the time to tell Kyouya that I needed to leave the coming Thursday. We ate breakfast around the same time and that was about it. When I asked, he said that he was busy with school. Busy with _important _things, so he only came home, showered, and then went to bed and his bed certainly wasn't comfortable enough for the most of us, yet he insisted on sleeping there.

Just as I'd finished my dinner Kyouya came home early for once. I raised my eyebrows but didn't say anything, choosing to clean up after myself and see whether he'd initiate a conversation for once. To my surprise he did after emerging from his bedroom having rid himself of the jacket.

"Dino," he called with an identifiable tone. It would've been a lie to say I didn't smile to myself from hearing my first name—he'd insisted on calling my last ever since we were round my aunt's. "Do you actually do anything with your day?"

I laughed at the unexpected question. He hadn't asked anything like that before and I was pleased he seemed to have been taking an interest in me. "I do," I clarified, grinning. "I'm busy with work; I've neglected my _famiglia _far too much."

My answer only caused him to frown. Kyouya sat down on the arm of the sofa, staring at me with an inquisitive expression. "Am I supposed to know what that means? I don't know any other languages."

That slip up was my own fault. I scratched my neck, flustered. "…It means family, it's kind of how we refer to it, so it's less obnoxious."

"I see." He hummed. "So you've been trying to manage it from here?"

"Trying." I smiled sheepishly, not wanting to know where this conversation was heading. Was he going to tell me to leave again?

"You're finally acting like an adult," he remarked. Surprise flickered within my eyes; the conversation was the opposite of the one I'd had with him the other day. I was implying he was acting like a child, and he was saying the complete opposite about me. If I had had feeling of guilt from accusing him of acting too young, it seemed to have given him the push to actually talk to me.

"Finally?" I raised an eyebrow. "Have you been waiting for me to grow up?"

"That will take far too long," Kyouya replied as I sat down next to him.

"What do you do with your day?" I asked, making it so he was only just leaning into me. "You leave for school and come back when you need to sleep—it's actually getting lonely around here."

"Just be satisfied that I'm able to tolerate you sleeping beside me." He scowled.

Even though he was reiterating my words, I felt the need to tease him. "Since we're touching each other, I think it's more appropriate to say we sleep together." As he elbowed me in the shoulder, enough for the flesh to skin slightly, and grimaced at my comment I laughed it off. The last time he had used his tonfas to threaten me had been more than long enough ago. He was letting his guard down more often than not, and that brought another smile to my lips. It was an improvement even at the worst time. "Where have you really been, Kyouya? You can't be at school all that time, surely."

"I'm busy dealing with things," he answered, choosing his words carefully.

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, taking in his expression and trying to see whether he was telling the truth or not. Kyouya averted his eyes, not wanting to expand on his answer. "What is there to deal with? You don't have any problems with your classes as you've already done them before."

He sighed, adjusting his position on the arm of the sofa, obviously uncomfortable. "It's not to do with school."

"Eh?"

He proceeded to shoot me a look that clearly said I was the dumbest person in the country. "I'm the discipline around here."

I'd forgotten that he liked to put himself upon a pedestal at certain times. I held a hand up in apaology, smiling at in humour at his proclamation, trying hard not to burst out laughing. Although it sounded ridiculous, it was something he would do. Even if it was a way just to let off steam, if he thought that something good would come out of it, that I couldn't correct him for it. It was most likely the reason Tsuna, and probably many others, weren't in Kyouya's best books.

"Are you always this serious?" I asked, lightly pressing my fingertip against his nose. He looked taken aback from the contact before slapping my hand away, frowning. "That's not what a sixteen-year-old should be saying at all."

"And how old are you, Dino?" he retorted, most likely going to bring my immaturity into the conversation.

"Twenty-two," I admitted, waiting to see his reaction. He didn't have one other than staring blankly at me, as if waiting for me to carry on talking. So, I did. "You bring out the child in me, you know." I leaned back against the cushions, stretching my arms above my head. "I don't feel like this often at home and with you, I'm like a possessive child."

"…That's not a good thing," he mumbled.

"It's refreshing for me, at least." I grinned at him, closing my eyes. "You know how children have their favourite toys? Well, you're mine, and it seems you're going to be for a long time. I don't want to anyone else playing with you."

If I had had my eyes open Kyouya probably wouldn't have surprised me so. Instead of a verbal answer he leaned towards me and snaked his fingers into my hair before pressing his lips to mine. I didn't pull away in surprise—which I was thankful for—or laugh in glee like I wanted to. I let Kyouya choose that time and as he moved his lips against mine, obviously demanding for some movement back, it was clear what he wanted. It wasn't me forcing a kiss upon him, or teasing him to kiss me in return. Kyouya had initiated it, and I was going to take as much as he offered. The fingers in my hair were gripping almost painfully, but I wasn't going to complain. My hand moved to hold onto his waist, pulling him closer as I responded enthusiastically. I was elated, clearly, and it seemed like I was reverting back into the hormone controlled teenager I had once been.

Rather than the kiss being only a few seconds long, it continued. I'd expected him to pull away and then frown at me, but rather than that, Kyouya leaned further into me and added pressure onto my lips. At first the kiss was slow and cautious, by letting him decide what it would be like, but now I couldn't hold myself back.

I didn't pause to whisper his name under my breath or anything remotely similar. I allowed my free hand to fall onto his thigh as I trailed my appendage over his bottom lip, feeling a bubble of glee within my lower half as he responded instantly. Kyouya parted his lips in acceptance, his tongue seeking mine within seconds.

A soft moan started to build up within the back of my throat, much like it did in his, too—I could tell from the slight vibration within the kiss, adding a whole new sensation to it. He pulled on my hair and I took that as a signal to push further; so, he was almost falling off the sofa as I pulled his waist closer and thrust my appendage deeper. Within no time my cheeks had heated up from the occasional supply of oxygen and the feeling in general. Kissing Kyouya was always a challenge as I never knew when he was going to push me away. As he moaned softly against my mouth, a coil of heat became apparent within my abdomen. I was enjoying the contact, certainly, and I hoped he was, too.

Whenever I had tried to push further and slip my hand either to his backside or up his shirt in the past, he'd rejected me, so I wasn't going to risk the chance. When Kyouya moaned more heartily that time, I pulled away in order to regain our breaths. As I sucked in a breath through my now swollen lips, my face grew hotter from seeing his expression. His lips were scarlet and damp and curled down into a soft frown, an easy sight to admire.

I couldn't get a word out before his lips were on mine again. The kiss was more aggressive that time, meaning the noise of us produced more noises of approval. He almost fell into me at one point as he was still awkwardly sat on the arm of the sofa, somehow trying to balance—that was most likely why it felt like my hair was being ripped out at some points. Kyouya was taking the initiative again, and I couldn't have been happier. My thumb was moving in small, hopefully soothing, circles on his waist through his shirt, still not touching his bare skin.

We pulled away again, both panting quietly to ourselves, and I placed chaste kisses on his scarlet lips. "Kyouya," I murmured, knowing full well that my voice was low from the building desire.

He responded again by kissing me, and by calling myself a fool in my head, I worked up the courage to slowly move my hand down from his waist. My fingertips skimmed the porcelain coloured skin of his stomach and I hummed in appreciation, realising again just how soft he was. Kyouya reacted immediately, though. He broke the kiss, meaning a bond of liquid settled down onto his lower lip, and bit down softly onto my own. He was making a point, apparently, and the slight sting of my lower lip only made me smile.

Knocking my hands away, he pulled back and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

"Sorry," I apologised, "my hand was cold, wasn't it?"

He abruptly stood up and started to stalk towards his room. Emerging with his jacket upon his shoulders a few moments later, I raised my eyebrows in question. Surely, I thought he couldn't have been leaving already, but I was always proven wrong.

"I'm busy," he said.

Despite the rejection, I laughed. "Sure," I replied, "have fun." It seemed better to just go with the flow, rather than questioning him about where he was going; and, it worked, too. Kyouya glanced at me as if I was mad for a moment and then swiftly left, not even murmuring a good bye. But I was all right with it, as I was accustomed to his quirks by then.

What I wasn't accustomed to, though, was him coming home late still. It was well past midnight when he finally turned, looking more tired than usual. I could almost see the purple bags under his eyes. I didn't say anything as he went to the kitchen and searched through a few cupboards, purposely looking for the medial kit. There were a few splotches of scarlet on his white shirt—the black of the rest of his outfit hid any blood that could have been there—and the wounds seemed to be mostly around his torso rather than his face.

"I'm guessing that you had fun, then?" I asked, not bothering to chastise him. There was no chance in Hell that I would be able to control him, let alone just for a night. "Just make sure to wash out the cuts, Kyouya."

He scowled, finding the kit. "Why would I listen to you?"

I smiled that he was back to being difficult. "Never mind," I answered. "You're home so I'm going to bed now." Rather than saying aloud that I was sleeping with him, I wanted to see whether he'd come back and sleep next to me on my bed, rather than his tiny single one. All the lack of space certainly hadn't been good for my back. I undressed at my own pace and purposely stayed on one side of the bed and almost time minutes later, it was worth it.

The door slowly creaked open, letting a beam of light come into the room, and he walked in already clad in a pair of pyjamas. I grinned at him, laughing as he narrowed his eyes when I patted on the mattress beside me.

After he'd slipped under the duvet, I spoke. "Isn't it better now we have more room?"

Rather than replying, Kyouya pushed his head further into the pillow and ignored me. I followed his lead and closed my eyes, trying hard to fall asleep without letting my thoughts wander further. It was usually relatively easy to fall asleep next to him, but that night the air around us seemed charged. Either I was really feeling frustrated or the kiss from earlier was still toying with how I was thinking. Kyouya, obviously, wasn't feeling anything of the sort, so I had to suppose that it was just my imagination. I was aware of his every breath, though, and how close he was beside me. If he wasn't clad in his pyjamas, the situation would've been even worse. Frustrated, I shifted my lower half uncomfortably, trying not to give away my discomfort. I couldn't just leave without expecting him to notice and the shower might have woken him up at that time of night. I had to uncomfortably wait for the throbbing down below to go away and attempt to keep my dignity.

I wasn't about to force myself upon him again as that didn't end well the first time, let alone all of the other times it was slightly more innocent. I wanted to go about it the right way; if Kyouya was responding to me already, I just had to wait patiently. And waiting patiently certainly didn't mean touching myself beside him.

Whilst I was trying to keep my mind on the right line of thought, Kyouya shuffled back so he was pressed against me. I gulped, trying to move my lower half away from him as subtly as possible, hoping that he hadn't noticed. He was looking for warmth, nothing else.

Calm down, Dino, I told myself, and don't ruin it already.

"…Kyouya." I had to clear my throat; my voice was too thick. "Are you awake?"

There was only a slim chance that he'd respond and, surprisingly, he was asleep. I laughed softly to myself, trying not to disturb him as I wondered how many times I'd been in a similar situation. There were not actually that many—I normally preferred to sleep alone as tangled limbs became annoying after a few days.

"I'm trying to sleep," he responded when I wasn't expecting him to answer. The seconds had ticked by until he had said that, disturbing my thoughts. Were we both in the same position?

"I can normally sleep with you beside me," I admitted, dropping in a hint as to why I'd moved away from him. "Are you having the same problem?"

"…You're just breathing too loudly."

"I'm not." I chuckled. "It's just… I can't relax next to you." He, hopefully, understood what I meant. I decided quickly that his next answer would determine whether I was leaving to shower or staying frustrated next to him, trying to cover up my problem. I was just too aware of him—I could clear hear every breath that he took.

"You're too close to me," Kyouya replied quietly, and I clearly felt a small jolt of excitement shoot through me.

"You were the one that moved closer to me," I pointed out, smiling to myself. There wasn't any light in the room, so when I reached out my arm and wrapped it around his waist, I was surprised that I'd gotten the position correct. Pulling him closer, I asked, "Is this okay?"

Kyouya didn't give me any sort of answer. I held my breath, wondering whether I'd pushed him too far, before instinct got the better of me. My lips were skimming the soft skin of his neck soon after, placing light kisses along it. There were no protests to my movements, so I continued and bit down lightly. As I purposely left a mark, a quietest of moans escaped his lips but halfway through the sound was stopped. Kyouya had closed his mouth, embarrassed, apparently, and I smiled against his skin in response. He was acting stubborn again, trying to keep quiet so it wouldn't urge me on.

His cut off moan had the opposite effect on me, though. I wanted to coax him to make more of those noises, even if they were breathless or hearty. My arousal was pressed into his clothed lower back, but he wasn't moving away in rejection. Kyouya was staying where he was, breathing slightly heavier than normal as he was pressed against me. When I was sure I'd left a dark mark, I trailed my tongue over the irritated skin, elated when his body jerked back into mine.

As I worked my way up to lightly nip his earlobe, making sure to leave a few kisses on the way, Kyouya was starting to become more responsive. He lightly pressed his lower half back against me, causing my arousal to stir more from the movements. I groaned under my breath in approval, matching his noises.

"Are you sure?" I asked lowly into his ear.

I'd just trailed my teeth over his cartilage as he answered, "I'm not a child."

That answer couldn't have been rejection. I grinned despite myself, trailing my hand from his waist to run over the smooth skin of his stomach, much like I'd done earlier that day. Kyouya didn't flinch or pull away; rather, he hummed softly as my fingertips skimmed the waistband of his underwear. They dipped down, brushing against his arousal and I felt my cheeks flush from knowing that I wasn't alone. He had been feeling the same way, after all.

I purposely applied teasing touches to his member, breathing against his ear. "Can I?" I asked, needing to clear my throat, and probably my thoughts, too. I was trying to redo the way I'd touched him before; I was going to be cautious this time and tentative.

"Quit asking me about every little thing," Kyouya snapped, his voice lower than usual. A laugh of appreciation left my lips from his answer—he wasn't like anyone else.

A gasp soon escaped him as I slowly pumped his member. It felt hot in my hands and if I could only feel my pulse down by my groin, I supposed that Kyouya was the same, too. My movements were slow as I wanted to make it last, to replace his memories of me touching him before. I wasn't demanding anything more than for him to enjoy himself, and as I ran a finger over his tip, it was painstakingly clear that he was. He moaned under his breath as I moved my hand tentatively, setting a slow rhythm so he'd feel more and be able to be more vocal about it.

With every move of my hand, Kyouya either produced a throaty moan or jerked back into me, pressing his backside against my member. Whether it was on purpose or not, though, I didn't know and didn't particularly care. I didn't need to seem demanding by pressing my lower half against him and wanting friction; he was allowing me some pleasure, even more so than just hearing him.

I groaned his name and closed my eyes, seeing no difference to when they were open. My face was clearly far too hot; I should not have been reacting as much as I was, but I had been frustrated for hours. His moans were becoming louder and more frequent as I increased my pace and started to nip his neck again. I sucked on the skin as my fingers moved swiftly, feeling his member twitch within my hand.

"Dino," he moaned.

Having him moan my first name was _far _better than my last, as he had done so in the past. The happiness I felt quickly turned into arousal, shooting down and joining the rest within my lower half. I groaned in return, giving his member a harsh tug as he twitched against me again. He moaned my name again, that time quieter, as he attempted to move his hips further into my hand.

Kyouya gasped. "Wait."

He was close to releasing—the liquid from his tip clearly showed that. I grinned against his neck, nipping his skin just to hear him moan softly again, and worked my hand faster. He writhed against me—causing more friction than I was expecting against my arousal—and produced a muffled noise, most likely biting down on his lip.

"It's okay," I murmured, applying a harsh tug to his member.

His backside was once again pressed against me as he moaned louder than before, his body tensing as I clearly felt what was happening. I stroked his member, still, until I was sure that he had finished. The warm liquid had landed onto my fingers and the back of my palm, and most likely onto his stomach, too. As Kyouya regained his breath against me, I kissed his neck softly.

"That tickles," he complained, not quite pushing me away yet.

I smiled, still continuing. "Does it?"

"You've had your moment, stop sticking close to me," Kyouya protested, elbowing me lightly in the chest.

I took that as my signal to sit up, reaching inside the nearest for a couple of tissues to clean up the mess. It was hard to locate them in the dark, so I switched on the lamp just in time to see Kyouya get up from the bed. His cheeks were a shade of crimson, either from pleasure or embarrassment. He smoothed out his clothes with a frown across his lips.

"Kyouya?" I called, furrowing my eyebrows as he opened the door.

"I'm sleeping alone."

That idea was probably for the best. After he left and I'd cleaned up any of the reminders of what had just happened, I fell back onto the mattress, frustrated. If he had stayed I might have gone too far, once again.

**AN: **Do you know what I hate in stories? When a character gets someone else's life story told to them and it lasts for pages. So I skipped that. I don't like advertising anything (not even names of drinks), so it's no surprise that the car is left unnamed. It's the same as in the anime (if I remember correctly), since I don't read the manga. I promised that this chapter would be long and it's from Dino's point of view, so, of course, it took me ages to write. It was going to have another lemon and some more dialogue, but I thought that would be overkill.

300th reviewer will get whatever he/she wants. Just PM me if you know you've got it, or I'll get back to you in the next chapter (and that seems three months away).


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